During the American Civil War, serious attempts were made to reconstruct the faces of soldiers injured in battle. Pictured here is Private Roland Ward, who underwent several operations without anesthetic to repair his face in the 1860s.
The need for reconstructive surgery was driven in part by the horrific damage caused by a new type of ammunition: the conical-shaped bullet known as a “Minié ball,” which flattened and deformed upon impact, creating a shock wave for maximum destruction.
The most skillful surgeon to emerge during this period was Gurdon Buck, who helped repair the face of Private Carleton Burgan after a gangrenous infection destroyed his upper mouth, palate, right cheek & eye.
With the help of a dentist named Thomas B. Gunning, Buck was able to reconstruct parts of Burgan’s face using rudimentary skin grafts and flap techniques.
Buck (pictured here) was one of only a handful of surgeons willing to attempt such risky procedures as infection rates during this period were staggering. By and large, this type of surgery remained the exception rather than the rule.