Plastic surgery has been around almost as long as there has been recorded history and may be regarded as one of the oldest healing arts in medicine. Ancient Egypt and India have records of body alterations and reconstructive procedures as long as 4000 years ago. But nothing advanced the techniques in Plastic Surgery as much as war. The injuries from war create often devastating tissue problems that require innovation and creativity to treat. While the Revolutionary and Civil Wars certainly caused many wound problems, it was World War I that really propelled plastic surgery techniques forward. Never before had some many skull and facial wounds been seen due to trench warfare. This required new reconstructive procedures and contributions from many European and American surgeons to treat soldiers both during and after the war. Plastic surgery as a surgical specialty was born and continued to develop and expand through the experiences of subsequent war activities.
Dr. Barrt Eppley
Indianapolis, Indiana