Reviews tagging 'Suicidal thoughts'

The Facemaker: A Visionary Surgeon's Battle to Mend the Disfigured Soldiers of World War I by Lindsey Fitzharris

4 reviews

no_u14's review

challenging dark hopeful informative reflective sad medium-paced

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Suicidal thoughts, Terminal illness, War, Death, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Medical trauma, and Violence

jhbandcats's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful informative inspiring sad fast-paced

5.0

An extraordinary history of the doctor who perfected plastic surgery and facial reconstruction on WWI soldiers whose faces had been destroyed. Dr Harold Gillies didn’t know much about facial reconstruction when he first began trying to save patients from a lifetime of isolation and depression caused by the stigma of facial disfigurement. He came to pioneer new methods of surgery that not only saved soldiers’ physical lives but their emotional lives as well. 

For soldiers with mangled faces whose fiancées left them or whose children ran away screaming in terror, Dr Gillies was a savior. He suffered many failures as he was learning along the way but they were outstripped by his successes. He went on to perform facial reconstruction in WWII, working in private practice in times of peace. His two books on plastic surgery of the face are still valuable. 

Lindsey Fitzharris gives an overview of the wartime medical complex on the Continent and its expansion to England, and shows how Gillies continued to grow his knowledge as he did all he could to return his patients to lives as normal as possible. An excellent medical history. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Medical trauma, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, War, Addiction, Fire/Fire injury, Gore, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Body horror, and Death

peachani's review against another edition

informative slow-paced

3.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Death, Fire/Fire injury, Medical content, War, Gore, Gun violence, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Body horror and Medical trauma

Minor: Body shaming, Vomit, Bullying, and Suicidal thoughts

soobooksalot's review

challenging hopeful inspiring reflective medium-paced

5.0

Often it's the challenging reads that make the impact!
 The Facemaker by medical historian Lindsey Fitzharris tells the true story of pioneering techniques in plastic surgery in World War 1.
 Surgeon Harold Gillies saw the need for facial reconstruction due to the devastating injuries incurred during trench warfare. 
 Soldiers were left not only horribly disfigured but were often unable to speak or eat, and susceptible to deadly infections.
 Fitzharris illustrates not only the surgical procedure breakthroughs, but also the people behind them - patients, artists and medical staff alike. Her writing style is very readable despise the heavy subject matter.
 It's a graphic, yet gripping read. And before, during and after photos are included to show Gillies' methods at work.
 It's an eye-opening book to experience - recommended!

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Death, Medical trauma, War, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Fire/Fire injury, and Gun violence

Minor: Suicidal thoughts