World War 2

The nature of warfare during WW2 created huge numbers of very severe and large scale burns, these being particularly prevalent in fighter pilots.  Commonly referred to as ‘airmens burns’, these high temperature burns would affect the face, hands and arms.  Archibald McIndoe worked extensively with the burn survivors, ultimately changing the way burns were treated.  McIndoe left the traditional tannin treatment and opted for a saline bath.  He also recognised the importance of early skin grafting as a way to manage the burns and their subsequent scarring. McIndoe was also an advocate for psychological help for veterans returning to society with visible scarring.  The town of East Grinstead where McIndoe worked became known as the ‘town that didn’t stare’, so normalised were the residents to burn survivors’ appearance.

The conflict of WW2 brought civilians to the attention of surgeons.  Bomb blasts on civilians areas inflicted horrendous injuries, including burns, shrapnel wounds and severed limbs.  Plastic surgeons worked with civilians and soldiers during this conflict, using their specialist skills to save lives and help survivors adjust to life after serious injury.  In 1946, after the end of WW2, BAPS was founded demonstrating that plastic surgery was at last an established and respected discipline.

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