War is undeniably one of the main drivers of innovation over the course of history. Countless consumer goods, indispensable technologies and lifesaving medical procedures stem from conflict or its aftermath.
In Part I we’ll explore progress made in the medical field and in hygiene.
Plastic surgery
Nowadays considered a vanity, plastic surgery started out as a necessity.
The First World War pitted masses of troops against machine guns, heavy artillery, flamethrowers, airplanes and poison gases. The trenches would leave most of the body protected, yet the face was left vulnerable. In addition, recent medical developments such as anesthesia meant that soldiers who sustained grave injuries were more likely to survive than in previous wars.
Tens of thousands of disfigured survivors would have to adjust to a life that was never going to be the same again. With reconstructive surgery still in its infancy, one of its main roles would be played by Harold Gillies.
Gillies was a New Zealand born ear, nose and throat specialist who had studied at Cambridge. Following the outbreak of the war, Gillies joined the Royal Army Medical Corps and was stationed in France. There he observed early skin and bone graft experiments undertaken by Charles Valadier, a…
