Surgical Acrobatics — Jump-flaps in Reconstructive Surgery

Akin to the multistage launching of a space-ship or satellite, the use of the “Jump flap” technique/wrist-transported abdominal “pedicled tube flaps” for reconstructive surgery of the face, lower limb, etc. never ceases to amaze students of surgery. Pedicled-tube flaps were first pioneered by Sir Dr. Harold Gilles who is considered as the father of modern plastic surgery and who widely used tube flaps during the First World War. The Gilles Archive at Queen Mary’s Hospital, UK contains fascinating pictures of his work. For more on the contributions of Dr. Gilles one might also want to check out Project Facade, an interesting venture that aims to compare plastic surgery as it was practised during WWI to how it is practised now, depicting how far the science has come & what the future might hold. War Surgery & Medicine, a book maintained by the New Zealand Electronic Text Center contains some interesting historical photographs depicting the jump-flap technique of reconstructive surgery.