Wounded British and Indian Soldiers at the Neuve Chapelle in 1915, Courtesy of the National Army Museum

Harold Gillies’ innovative techniques paved the way for innumerable lives to be saved. He not only improved the quality of life for his patients, but his surgeries during WWI and II marked a clear turning point in surgical history. Using his creativity and dedication to his work, the father of reconstructive plastic surgery was able to lay the foundations for a successful future in the field.