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Lindsey Fitzharris, the award-winning author of The Butchering Art, presents the compelling, true story of a visionary surgeon who rebuilt the faces of the First World War's injured heroes, and in the process ushered in the modern era of plastic surgery.From the moment that the first machine gun rang out over the Western Front, one thing was clear: mankind's military technology had wildly surpassed its medical capabilities. Shells and mortar bombs flung men around the battlefield like rag dolls. Ammunition containing magnesium fuses ignited when lodged in flesh. Bodies were battered, gouged, hacked, and gassed. The war claimed millions of lives and left millions more wounded and disfigured. In the midst of this brutality, however, there were also those who strove to alleviate the human suffering.