Plastic Surgery

Chapter 1 - In the hospital

"Let me know if I've gone into too much detail," Doctor George Simpson said in his latest plastic surgery seminar to his new medical team. As he wrapped up his talk he added, "This seminar was just supposed to be a generalized overview about plastic surgery and not go into the details of specific cases."

"That's quite all right," said his new colleague Doctor Robert Jones from the back of the room. "What you had to say was extremely interesting."

"For better or worse there definitely seems to be a certain amount of glamour associated with plastic surgery these days, with everyone from movie stars to politicians going under the knife to improve or even completely change their looks and even their gender," George continued.

"However, there is a much more important function of plastic surgeons. Can you say what that might be?"

Doctor Jones spoke up, "Where someone had a major facial injury or disfigurement. We have the ability to transform those lives for the better."

"Correct Doctor Jones," replied George. "You have a question Sarah?"

"You said that it's possible to turn the ugly into the beautiful. Is it really that easy to do?" she asked.

"No, it's not easy and it takes practice, skill and knowledge for it to be successful," George eagerly replied. "It's partly why I'm offering to teach you all everything I know over the next six months you are here. Before you think I've got a big ego then I'll happily admit I do have one."

They all laughed.

"I think it's safe to say plastic surgeons have probably the biggest egos in medicine outside brain and heart transplant surgeons," George added and then looked at his watch. "Unfortunately, I will not be able to carry on with this talk as sadly I have to attend a family funeral this afternoon. Unless there are any pressing further questions?"

"Just one more question if I may?" asked Sarah. He nodded that she should ask it as he put away his presentation notes into his briefcase.

"What about the maimed and the deformed members of society? What role does plastic surgery play with them?"

"It has an important role of course but often it's just not possible to assist them regain something they've lost such as a limb or an organ. That said we can now produce wonderful artificial limbs and we can transplant some organs," he replied.

"Any more?" asked George.

"You mentioned earlier about the creation of someone of the opposite gender," said another woman at the back of the theatre. "In female to male trans patients it's very difficult to give them the external genitals of their desired gender. What do we intend to do about that?"

"I agree it's a difficult problem with those people," he said. "Obviously there have been huge advances over the last few decades however short of giving them a complete transplant of male genitals what we can do now is hardly satisfactory. For the most part that isn't a problem for male to female patients. We can now create very realistic vulvas for those patients."

He looked around the room and when no further questions emerged he stood up to leave. "Thank you and please do have a nice afternoon. I must dash."

"I'll see you later," said Sarah as George rushed out to attend his father in law's funeral.