Page:Gillies plastic surgery 1920.djvu/16

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PREFACE
xi


Unfortunately, his other duties forbade his taking as large a part in the work as he and we ourselves could have wished. Latterly, his work has been ably carried on by Mr. Sidney Hornswick, who, on his own initiative, has considerably improved and standardised methods of recording flap operations.

The compilation of notes in the early part of our work was carried on voluntarily by Mr. Thomas Pope. The author cannot sufficiently thank him for the sterling value of his work and the loyalty with which he persevered at his self-appointed task through two full and difficult years.

Lieutenant J. Edwards has not only been responsible for the preparation of routine plaster-cast records, but for a very important part of our work, the reconstruction of features on the casts as a preliminary to surgical reconstruction.

Herein, guided by the surgeon in the matter of surgical possibilities, he strives, sometimes for the ideal, more often for the best possible surgical compromise; and his work calls for constructive imagination of a very high order. Where chances of surgical repair are not evident he co-operates with Captain Fry in the provision of as perfect a mechanical restoration as possible.

In the X-ray Department Captain H. Mulrea Johnston has displayed great ingenuity and resource in evolving standard positions for radiographic records, particularly of jaw injuries. Latterly, his place has been ably taken by Captain R. A. C. Rigby.

The majority of the photographic figures in the book have been prepared by Mr. Sidney Walbridge. Their excellence speaks for itself, but gives no idea of the time and care this late N.C.O. has devoted to ensuring that they shall be an honest and true record. He has had to suborn his art to this end, sternly suppressing the temptation to manipulate the lighting or retouch the negatives.

The work of correcting later proofs has been kindly undertaken by my colleague, Mr. H. Bedford Russell. The heavy secretarial work has been chiefly performed by the author's patients (for the most part E. J. Greenaway; partly also R. W. D. Seymour), who have stuck to their task with persistent, cheerful loyalty, in the intervals between their operations. The author takes this opportunity of thanking his publishers for their oft- tried leniency in regard to delays in the production of "copy." In extenuation, he would plead a strong penchant for laying aside the pen in favour of the scalpel whenever a plastic problem presented itself.

Above all, the author cannot adequately express what he owes to the loyal co-operation and assistance of the medical officers—surgeons, physicians, and