How Has War Been a Factor in the Development of Surgery and Medicine?
Looking at the medical developments of medicine during WW1 and WW2
This essay was written by George Illingworth: a high school student from Northern England
Throughout recent history, war has been an important factor in the development and pioneering of surgery and anatomy.
The destructive nature of war requires advancing surgical and anatomical understanding, and this idea can be seen in the First World War. 15-25 million people are estimated to have died, and about 10 million more suffered life changing injuries. This staggering toll of injury required in-depth and complex surgeries. These injuries often required procedural technology that did not yet exist. However, one notable surgical advancement in WW1 was the development of plastic surgery and facial reconstructive surgery. This was first pursued by Harold Gillies, who is often referred to as the father of plastic surgery. He persuaded the chief army surgeon at the time to open a facial injury care unit. In 1917, the Queen’s Hospital in Kent did just that.
In the long term, wars resulted in the increasing advancement of plastic surgery. For example, in WW1, various forms of skin grafts were introduced. This is the procedure in which healthy skin from one part of the body is transplanted to another. Additionally, methods for facial reconstruction in particular became more advanced, such as the usage of cartilage grafts and flap surgeries. These new techniques were also being pioneered during this time period.
Modern day plastic surgery is now one of the most advanced sectors of medicine in the world, and this growth was largely accelerated during periods of war. Present day aesthetic surgeries can vary from simple Botox and facial procedures, to literally putting someone else’s face on your own
The development of skin surgery had another period of growth during WW2. Surgery and treatment on burns and scars were done successfully, and were done without risk of infection. Nearly 4000 successful operations on burns were done by Archibald McIndoe, which was a novelty for the time period. McIndoe's discovery nearly 100 years ago has built the foundation for burn related treatments today. There are now various techniques to improve the aesthetic appearance of scars and burns. Some methods include skin grafts, laser treatments, and tissue expansion, all of which stem from wartime innovations, as burns and scars were extremely common.
The prospect of war comes with mass casualties and destruction, but it also plays a pivotal role in the advancement and understanding of both surgery and anatomy.