Thread by @DrLindseyFitz

Facial prosthesis, c.1917. THREAD👇

From the moment the first machine gun rang out over the Western Front, one thing was clear: Europe’s military technology had wildly surpassed its medical capabilities. Bodies were battered, gouged, hacked, and gassed.

The war claimed millions of lives and left millions more wounded. In the midst of this brutality, however, there were also those who strove to alleviate suffering. Not all soldiers had access to surgery, nor did everyone wish to undergo months (or years) of painful operations.

Artists sculpted masks for disfigured soldiers. This prosthesis was created by the American sculptor Anna Coleman Ladd. During the war, she created masks of the soldiers’ faces from clay or plasticine in order to create a prosthetic piece made of thin galvanized copper.

The metal was painted with hard enamel to resemble the recipient's skin tone. Ladd then used real hair to create the eyelashes, eyebrows and moustaches. Had it not been for her efforts, many of these men would have lived in isolation.

My next book, THE FACEMAKER, is about the pioneering surgeon Harold Gillies, who rebulit soldiers' faces during WW1. Gillies established one of the world’s first hospitals dedicated entirely to facial reconstruction.

It was there that he assembled a unique group of practitioners that included artists and mask makers. Their task was to restore what had been torn apart, to recreate what had been destroyed. Gillies and his team restored not just the faces of the wounded but also their spirits.

I'm so excited (and nervous) to share five years of research with you. #TheFacemaker comes out June 7, and I would be hugely grateful for your preorders. SIGNED copies still available.

US (left): bit.ly/3K6olzB
UK (right): smarturl.it/thefacemaker