The History of Plastic Surgery
Part V

Albeit there were many new developments in reconstructive and aesthetic surgical in the 19th century, plastic and reconstructive surgery still did not exist as a medical field that carried the same credibility as other branches of medicine. By the end the 20th century, there were still no respected surgeons whose area of specialization was reconstructive and/aesthetic surgery. The techniques in those specialities were still viewed as neither vital nor necessary and only a few surgeons actually practiced the techniques and those who did practice the procedures in addition to their regular practices.

Plastic surgery continued to be viewed in a negative light until the end of the 19th century, a situation exacerbated by the fact that only surgeons of ill repute actually practiced the techniques. Their advertising campaigns made them appear even less professional and added to their poor reputations. With the beginning of the 20th, it was still have been hard to believe that plastic and reconstructive surgery would even be included in mainstream medicine.

War often becomes a catalyst and so it was with World War I and II, as a group of very reputable surgeons brought legitimacy to the practice with the techniques they used to help treat the large volume of reconstructive cases produced by the war victims of those wars. There also were several important technical advances in plastic surgery as a result the Wars. That unfortunate period in history allowed surgeons to define the specialty and show very clearly the contributions that plastic and reconstructive surgery could make in the world.

In 1909 Vilray Papin Blair, an American surgeon, published ground-breaking photographs of his work in reconstructive mandibular surgery in the Journal of the American Medical Association. He also published a book which contained more photographic “evidence” of his work. The publications helped awaken the interest of surgeons and, what is more important, helped to raise public awareness and the perception of plastic surgery as a legitimate medical specialty.

Chosen by the Surgeon General as chief of the section of head and neck surgery, Blair persuaded the Surgeon General to change the name of his position from Chief of Head and Neck Surgery to Chief of Plastic Surgery, a title further added to the legitimacy of the field.

It was also during this time period that surgeons practicing these specialties formed professional and academic societies. In 1921, the American Association of Oral and Plastic Surgeons, which later became the American Association of Plastic Surgeons, was formed. In 1937, the American Board of Plastic Surgery was established and it was the role of this association to set standards of excellence for the field.