PLASTIC SURGERY

Wairarapa Times-Age, 20 May 1938, Page 9

PLASTIC SURGERY

ACHIEVEMENTS IN AMERICA RESCUING WRECKED FACES Some of the wonders of plastic or reparative surgery which represent the achievements of United States specialists since the Great War were graphically potrayed in a film prepared by Dr H. L. Updegraff, an eminent surgeon of Hollywood, California, and shown by him to an audience largely composed of Auckland medical men. reports the "New Zealand Herald.” Dr Updegraff explained that American work in plastic surgery drew its inspiration from the achievements of a famous British specialist, Sir Harold Gillies, who was born and educated in New Zealand. While plastic surgery had been practiced for many years, it received a great impetus during the war, and since then many advances had been made. Various causes of disfigurement which the plastic surgeon can remedy were demonstrated by the film. Persons were gravely affected as the result of accidents, explosions, disease, cancer, and skin troubles, as well as by the efforts of charlatans who, in attempting to cure one trouble only brought about a far worse disfigurement. It was stressed that the machine age of today was taking greater toll in the matter of disfigurement than did the war.

The amazing efficiency of the modern plastic surgeon in restoring horribly distorted and misshapen features was illustrated by photographs of patients before and after treatment. A remarkable aspect which Dr Updegraff emphasised and the pictures clearly indicated was the change in the psychology of the patients who. before being treated appeared to be distressingly conscious of their disfigurement and apparently defiant of any attempt to rescue them from what they regarded as a hopeless plight, and who afterwards seemed imbued with a confident and happy spirit.