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01-10-2005 | Original Paper

Dr. Maurice Coelst: the struggle of a Belgian plastic surgeon “before the term existed”

Author: Paul Wylock

Published in: European Journal of Plastic Surgery | Issue 3/2005

Excerpt

Little is known about the history of plastic surgery in Belgium. Even at the celebrations to mark the 100th anniversary of the Royal Belgian Society of Surgery in 1993 ¹ no attention was paid to the specialist field of plastic surgery. The beginnings of plastic surgery as a separate speciality during the years between the World Wars were regarded with suspicion all over the world by the established surgeons of the time. …

Société Royale Belge de Chirurgie (1893–1993) Koninklijk Belgisch Genootschap voor Heelkunde . Editorial R. Van Hee-P.Mendes da Costa, 1993 Universa Press Wetteren,

Gillies was influenced by the work of Morestin, whom he had once visited in the Val-de-Grâce hospital in 1915. Gillies was to say of this meeting: “In the space of a single moment he could reveal the gentleness of a kitten and the savagery of a tiger”. In 1917, he set up his own centre in the UK at Queen Mary’s Hospital in Sidcup, Kent, where he was to establish a famous centre for British and Allied war wounded in WW2. Many renowned plastic surgeons were trained there. Gillies was named the “father of modern plastic surgery”. He was knighted in 1930

Archibald McIndoe was Senior Plastic Surgeon to the Queen Victoria Cottage Hospital in East Grinstead. He was knighted in 1946

R. Mowlem was Senior Plastic Surgeon to the Hill End Hospital in St Albans

T. Pomfret Kilner was Nuffield Professor of Plastic Surgery in Oxford

In 2003, the 72th annual congress of the “American Society of Plastic Surgery” was held in San Diego (California)

In 2003 a most interesting facsimile of this book is published, introduced by Prof. Dr. J. C. van der Meulen [7]

Philippe Pétain (1856–1951), field marshal and hero of WW1 was set the task by President Lebrun of forming a government after the Battle of the Marne. He was increasingly compromised as part of the Vichy administration during WW2. After the war, he was sentenced to death, but General De Gaulle commuted his sentence to life in prison

Aufricht Gustave (1981) Story of the foundation of the Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery Journal and reminiscences of the early formative years of plastic surgery as a specialty. Plast Rec Surg 68:370–375

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Burian Francis (1964) The past and present of plastic surgery: its problems in future society. Third Gillies Memorial Lecture. Brit J Plast Surg 17:351–365PubMed

Coelst M (1931) Revue de Chirurgie Plastique, vol 1–4, Brussels 1931–1934

Coelst M (1935) Revue de Chirurgie Structive, vol 5–8, Brussels 1835–1938

Encarta (1999) Winkler Prins Encyclopedia (CD-Rom)

Esser Johannes FS (2003) Artery Flaps, facsimile of the original book, introduced by Prof. Dr. J. C. van der Meulen. Erasmus, Rotterdam

Glicenstein J (1988) Pioneers of plastic surgery. Susanne Noël (1878–1954). Ann Chir Plast Esthét 33(4):390–394

Hallock GG (2001) The plastic surgeon of the 20th century. Plast Rec Surg 107:1014–1024CrossRef

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Haeseker B (1983) Dr J.F.S. Esser and his contributions to Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery. Proefschrift, Rotterdam

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Marino Hector (1981) Reminiscences of the American Society of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgeons, Inc., and some of its members. Plast Rec Surg 68:376–381

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McCarthy Joseph (1990) Plastic surgery Vol 1. In: Introduction to plastic surgery. Saunders, Philadelphia, pp. 8–18

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Rogers BO (1999) U.S. plastic surgeons who contributed to the Revue de Chirurgie Plastique and the Revue de Chirurgie Structive (1931–1938): “Giants” in our specialty. Aesth Plast Surg 23:252–259CrossRef

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Title: Dr. Maurice Coelst: the struggle of a Belgian plastic surgeon “before the term existed”
Author: Paul Wylock
Publication date: 01-10-2005
Publisher: Springer-Verlag
Published in: European Journal of Plastic Surgery / Issue 3/2005
Print ISSN: 0930-343X
Electronic ISSN: 1435-0130
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00238-005-0726-2

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