Harold Gillies

During World War I, Harold Gillies established a specialized ward for facial reconstruction at Queen's Hospital in Sidcup, England. He treated thousands of soldiers who suffered devastating shrapnel wounds to the face from trench warfare. His innovative tubed pedicle skin graft technique became a foundational procedure in modern reconstructive surgery.

Yes, in 1946, Harold Gillies performed one of the earliest known sex reassignment surgeries on a trans man named Michael Dillon. He utilized his wartime flap techniques to construct a functional phallus. This pioneering procedure paved the way for modern gender-affirming surgeries.

Harold Gillies was the older cousin of Sir Archibald McIndoe, and he convinced McIndoe to join him in the field of plastic surgery in England. While Gillies pioneered facial surgery in WWI, McIndoe famously took over similar work for WWII pilots at Queen Victoria Hospital. The two are considered the twin pillars of modern British plastic surgery.

Harold Gillies co-authored the seminal medical textbook *Plastic Surgery of the Face* in 1920. The book detailed the groundbreaking techniques he developed during the First World War. It remains a critical historical document for understanding the evolution of reconstructive surgical procedures.