Left image: close-up detail of a painting of a hand holding a scalpel. Reflected in the scalpel blade is a person whose head is wrapped almost entirely in bandages. Right image: modern black and white headshot of a light-haired white woman.

"The Facemaker": Lindsey Fitzharris

Sunday, Sept. 24 - 1 p.m. Auditorium and Online

From the moment the first machine gun rang out over the Western Front, one thing was clear: humankind’s military technology had wildly surpassed its medical capabilities. WWI claimed millions of lives and left millions more wounded and disfigured. Amidst this brutality, there were those who endeavored to alleviate suffering. “The Facemaker” tells the extraordinary story of pioneering plastic surgeon Harold Gillies. At a time when losing a limb made a soldier a hero, but a wounded face made him a monster to a society largely intolerant of disfigurement, Gillies restored not just the faces of the wounded, but also their spirits.

The New York Times bestselling author Dr. Lindsey Fitzharris will join us virtually, as we discuss Gillies’s ingenious surgical innovations alongside the dramatic stories of soldiers whose lives were wrecked and repaired. Hosted in partnership with Linda Hall Library, Kansas City Public Library and in conjunction with the special exhibition Bespoke Bodies: The Design & Craft of Prosthetics.

Free with RSVP | Auditorium and Online

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