Harold Gillies 265709 217543364 2008-06-06T14:47:11Z 69.150.20.153 /* Pioneering sex reassignment surgery */ [[Image:Gillies.jpg|right|thumb|200px|Harold Gillies in 1916]] '''Sir Harold Delf Gillies''' ([[June 17]], [[1882]] - [[September 10]], [[1960]]) was a [[New Zealand]]-born, and later [[London]] based, [[Otolaryngology|otolaryngologist]] who is widely considered as the father of [[plastic surgery]]. ==Personal life== Gillies was born in [[Dunedin, New Zealand]]. He studied medicine at [[Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge|Gonville and Caius College]], [[University of Cambridge|Cambridge University]], where despite a stiff elbow (sustained sliding down the banisters at home as a child) he was a rowing blue. Gillies married Kathleen Margaret Jackson on [[November 9]], [[1911]], in London. They had four children. His youngest son [[Michael Thomas Gillies]] followed his father into medicine. In addition to his career as a surgeon, he was also a champion golfer and inveterate practical joker. For many years his home was at 71 Frognal, in the heart of London's [[Hampstead]] village. A [[blue plaque]] on the front of that house now commemorates his life and work. ==Career== ===World War I=== Following the outbreak of [[World War I]] he joined the Royal Army Medical Corps. Initially posted to Wimereux, near Boulogne, he acted as medical minder to a French-American dentist, Valadier, who was not allowed to operate unsupervised but was attempting to develop jaw repair work. Gillies became enthusiastic about the work and on his return to England persuaded the army's chief surgeon, Arbuthnot Lane, that a facial injury ward should be established at the Cambridge Military Hospital, Aldershot.[[Image:FrognalHouse.jpg|right|thumb|200px|Frognal House, formerly Queen Mary's Hospital, in 2002]] This rapidly proved inadequate and a new hospital devoted to facial repairs was developed at [[Sidcup]]. The Queen's Hospital opened in June [[1917]] and with its convalescent units provided over 1,000 beds. There Gillies and his colleagues developed many techniques of plastic surgery; more than 11,000 operations were performed on over 5,000 men (mostly soldiers with facial injuries, usually from gunshot wounds). The hospital, later to become Queen Mary's Hospital, was at [[Frognal House]] (the birthplace and property of [[Lord Sydney|Thomas Townshend, Lord Sydney]] after whom Sydney, Australia was named). For his war services Gillies was knighted in the Birthday Honours list of June 1930. [[William Arbuthnot-Lane]] commented, "Better late than never". ===Private practice=== Between the wars Gillies developed a substantial private practice with Rainsford Mowlem, including many famous patients, and travelled extensively, lecturing, teaching and promoting the most advanced techniques worldwide. In 1930 Gillies invited his cousin, [[Archibald McIndoe]] to join the practice, and also suggested he apply for a post at St Bartholomew's Hospital. This was the point at which McIndoe became committed to plastic surgery, in which he too became preeminent. ===World War II=== During [[World War II]] Gillies acted as a consultant to the Ministry of Health, the RAF and the Admiralty. He organised plastic surgery units in various parts of Britain. His own work continued at Rooksdown House, part of the [[Park Prewett|Park Prewett Hospital]], Basingstoke. During this period, and after the war, he trained many doctors from [[Commonwealth of Nations|Commonwealth]] nations in plastic surgery. ===Pioneering sex reassignment surgery=== In [[1946]], he and a colleague carried out one of the first [[sex reassignment surgery]] from female to male on [[Michael Dillon]].[http://www.nytimes.com/2007/03/18/books/review/Roach.t.html?ex=1331784000&en=7d2bd0c4d7848926&ei=5124&partner=permalink&exprod=permalink] In 1951 he and colleagues carried out one of first modern sex reassignment surgery from male to female using a flap technique on [[Roberta Cowell]][http://www.nytimes.com/2007/03/18/books/review/Roach.t.html?ex=1331784000&en=7d2bd0c4d7848926&ei=5124&partner=permalink&exprod=permalink], which became the standard for 40 years. ==Selected publications== * Gillies HD. ''Plastic Surgery of the Face.'' Henry Frowde. 1920, 1983. ISBN 0906923085 * Gillies HD, [[Ralph Millard|Millard DR.]] ''The Principles and Art of Plastic Surgery.'' Butterworth. 1958. ** Reviews: [http://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/articlerender.fcgi?artid=1512094], [http://www.ejbjs.org/cgi/reprint/39/2/477], [http://www.jbjs.org.uk/cgi/reprint/39-B/4/805]. ==Further reading== * Pound R. ''Gillies: Surgeon Extraordinary.'' Michael Joseph. 1964. * {{cite news | last = Kennedy | first = Pagan | coauthors = | title = 'The First Man-Made Man' (first chapter) | work = New York Times | pages = | date = [[March 18]], [[2007]] | url = http://www.nytimes.com/2007/03/18/books/review/Roach.t.html | accessdate = 2007-03-25 }} * {{cite news | last = Roach | first = Mary | coauthors = | title = Girls Will Be Boys | work = New York Times | pages = | date = [[March 18]], [[2007]] | url = http://www.nytimes.com/2007/03/18/books/review/Roach.t.html | accessdate = 2007-03-25 }} * [http://www.bbc.co.uk/ww2peopleswar/stories/90/a7884390.shtml Harold Delf Gillies, plastic surgeon (1882-1960)]. WW2 People's War Archive. [[BBC]]. Accessed March 25 2007. * [http://www.dnzb.govt.nz/dnzb/default.asp?Find_Quick.asp?PersonEssay=3G9 Gillies, Harold Delf (1882-1960)]. [[Dictionary of New Zealand Biography]]. Accessed March 25 2007. ==External links== *[http://www.nzedge.com/heroes/gillies.html Harold Gillies - Aesthetic Reconstructor] *[http://www.gilliesarchives.org.uk Gillies Archives] *http://www.surgical-tutor.org.uk/default-home.htm?surgeons/gillies.htm~right *[http://www.projectfacade.com/ Project Facade - His work from WWI] {{DEFAULTSORT:Gillies, Harold}} [[Category:1882 births]] [[Category:1960 deaths]] [[Category:New Zealand surgeons]] [[Category:Alumni of Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge]] [[Category:Plastic surgeons]] [[Category:People from Otago]] [[hr:Harold Gillies]]