Abstract:
In the course of the fighting at the fronts of World War I, the introduction of new projectilesled to an unanticipated number of head injuries, catching the military leadershipand casualty medical support unprepared. Since the military saw the frequency of facialinjuries as an imminent danger to its forces, it determined that specialists were neededto treat facial injuries quickly and effectively.Maxillofacial doctors were confronted with a new situation. On the one hand, due todisfigurements, it became necessary to address psychological issues in treatments, andon the other hand, military leaders demanded treatment methods that would make thelargest number of soldiers fit for battle as quickly as possible. From this point on, medicalactivity was viewed as a quantifiable resource by the military and was actively integratedin warfare.The main question is: How did the injured soldiers deal with disfigurements? A reviewof existing patient files reveals different approaches soldiers took to come to termswith their facial injuries. There were patients whose complete resignation culminated insuicide and others who drafted self-confident designs for living; Franz Zamecnik’s reaction,presented in this essay, is an example of the latter.The soldiers’ and doctors’ perspectives must be assessed against the background ofinstitutional medicine and the military.