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Reviews tagging 'Violence'
The Facemaker: A Visionary Surgeon's Battle to Mend the Disfigured Soldiers of World War I by Lindsey Fitzharris
18 reviews
monnibo's review against another edition
dark
emotional
informative
medium-paced
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore, Gun violence, Medical content, Injury/Injury detail, Blood, and Fire/Fire injury
Moderate: Violence, Gun violence, Death, and War
no_u14's review
challenging
dark
hopeful
informative
reflective
sad
medium-paced
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Suicidal thoughts, Terminal illness, War, Death, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Medical trauma, and Violence
sebrittainclark's review
informative
medium-paced
4.0
This was a fascinating look at the beginning of plastic surgery and specifically facial reconstruction surgery during World War 1. I really didn't know anything about the medical advances that took place around World War 1, so it was very interesting to learn about the factors that made survivable facial injuries more common, and the innovative work Dr. Gillies did to repair the damage.
Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Violence, Death, Fire/Fire injury, Gore, and War
riddikulus25's review
dark
sad
medium-paced
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, War, Injury/Injury detail, Body shaming, 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.
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.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Medical trauma, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, War, Addiction, Fire/Fire injury, Gore, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Body horror, and Death
sarahbythebook's review against another edition
hopeful
informative
inspiring
medium-paced
5.0
"Don't worry, sonny. You'll be alright and have as good a face as most of us before we're finished with you."
Dr. Harold Gillies would become a leader in the field of facial reconstructive surgery during its infancy under the dark clouds of World War I, and the world as a whole was better for him.
A kind and charismatic doctor, Harold Gillies would work endlessly to restore form and function to his patient's faces, recognizing the psychological impact of a destroyed face. In a very real way, the wounds soldiers received from bullets or shrapnel or civilians from fire and accidents lost their identities when they lost their most recognizable features. He also had a humility all too often lacking from those at the heads of their profession. Gillies recognized when his own knowledge fell short, enlisting the aid of dentists, artists, and many other skilled men and women to bring some amount of peace and confidence to the people whom he served.
His kindness did not end after the war, as author Lindsey Fitzharris demonstrates through the words of those who knew him. Gillies regularly was struggling financially because he hated discussing it with his patients and would provide steep discounts to those who needed his help. Despite the lack of financial gain, Gillies was eventually recognized by the British government for his contributions to the war, but more importantly, he was loved and remembered fondly by those who benefited under his scalpel.
The most moving story that Fitzharris includes doesn't even take place during the war, but after. Gillies' lack of prejudice in helping a trans man medically transition is moving and discredits any theories that everyone was transphobic at the time. He stood by his patient even after he was unwillingly outed. All in all, Harold Gillies seems like a descent human being first and foremost and a brilliant plastic surgeon second.
"The science of healing stood battle with the science of destroying."
The strides that Gillies and the team he assembled made in plastic surgery was brought about from horrible necessity. The First World War was unlike anything anyone in Europe had seen before despite its history of military conflicts.
As a historian, I focused on WWI, and as a teacher, I always tried to stress the importance of this war as the first real scientific war. The world saw chemical warfare, advanced war machinery, and advances in medical sciences at such a rapid pace, it was shocking. While I had focused in the past more on the weapons created, Fitzharris highlights in The Facemaker just one category of medical advances, though there are nods to the development of early psychiatry and the amazing progress made in practices like blood transfusions.
War is a tragedy no matter how it is examined, but Fitzharris does a masterful job showing off the progress that came out of trauma and the advances made possible because of the mass casualties, specifically in facial reconstruction. I'm so glad I read this book despite the fact that I generally don't do well with medical histories. (I'm specifically thinking of The Butchering Art by the same author).
If you have any history in medical histories, war histories, or just plain good and accessible nonfiction, I could not recommend The Facemaker highly enough.
Dr. Harold Gillies would become a leader in the field of facial reconstructive surgery during its infancy under the dark clouds of World War I, and the world as a whole was better for him.
A kind and charismatic doctor, Harold Gillies would work endlessly to restore form and function to his patient's faces, recognizing the psychological impact of a destroyed face. In a very real way, the wounds soldiers received from bullets or shrapnel or civilians from fire and accidents lost their identities when they lost their most recognizable features. He also had a humility all too often lacking from those at the heads of their profession. Gillies recognized when his own knowledge fell short, enlisting the aid of dentists, artists, and many other skilled men and women to bring some amount of peace and confidence to the people whom he served.
His kindness did not end after the war, as author Lindsey Fitzharris demonstrates through the words of those who knew him. Gillies regularly was struggling financially because he hated discussing it with his patients and would provide steep discounts to those who needed his help. Despite the lack of financial gain, Gillies was eventually recognized by the British government for his contributions to the war, but more importantly, he was loved and remembered fondly by those who benefited under his scalpel.
The most moving story that Fitzharris includes doesn't even take place during the war, but after. Gillies' lack of prejudice in helping a trans man medically transition is moving and discredits any theories that everyone was transphobic at the time. He stood by his patient even after he was unwillingly outed. All in all, Harold Gillies seems like a descent human being first and foremost and a brilliant plastic surgeon second.
"The science of healing stood battle with the science of destroying."
The strides that Gillies and the team he assembled made in plastic surgery was brought about from horrible necessity. The First World War was unlike anything anyone in Europe had seen before despite its history of military conflicts.
As a historian, I focused on WWI, and as a teacher, I always tried to stress the importance of this war as the first real scientific war. The world saw chemical warfare, advanced war machinery, and advances in medical sciences at such a rapid pace, it was shocking. While I had focused in the past more on the weapons created, Fitzharris highlights in The Facemaker just one category of medical advances, though there are nods to the development of early psychiatry and the amazing progress made in practices like blood transfusions.
War is a tragedy no matter how it is examined, but Fitzharris does a masterful job showing off the progress that came out of trauma and the advances made possible because of the mass casualties, specifically in facial reconstruction. I'm so glad I read this book despite the fact that I generally don't do well with medical histories. (I'm specifically thinking of The Butchering Art by the same author).
If you have any history in medical histories, war histories, or just plain good and accessible nonfiction, I could not recommend The Facemaker highly enough.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Medical trauma, Medical content, War, Violence, Injury/Injury detail, and Fire/Fire injury
Moderate: Vomit and Ableism
ehmannky's review
emotional
medium-paced
4.0
A really fascinating nonfiction book about the dawn of plastic surgery. It honestly made me think differently about the entire field. I think Fitzharris did a good job balancing the idea of this man being a true gamechanger in his field without painting him as an isolated genius who didn't need/want to rely on anyone. Gillies honestly just seemed like a really rad dude all around.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Violence, Injury/Injury detail, War, Gun violence, Fire/Fire injury, and Ableism
malsguth's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
informative
fast-paced
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: War, Fire/Fire injury, Injury/Injury detail, and Violence
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