Author: Hagop Martin Deranian
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 254
Book Description
In the intense fighting that marked World War I in Europe, an Armenian-American volunteer dentist quickly became known for his skill in treating the disfiguring facial injuries suffered by large numbers of British soldiers. Working originally under primitive conditions in makeshift hospitals near the battlefields of France, Varaztad H. Kazanjian exhibited a humane concern combined with innovative medical procedures that established his reputation and marked his subsequent career as a founder of the modern practice of plastic surgery. In recognition of his war service, Dr. Kazanjian became known as "the miracle man of the Western Front" and was invested by England's King George V in the most distinguished Order of St. Michael and St. George. Other honors followed as Dr. Kazanjian returned to the United States, where he continued his education and went on to a brilliant career as a surgeon, teacher at Harvard, and author of scientific articles. This biography traces the many influences that contributed to the remarkable success of the young man who fled from massacres in Ottoman Armenia to the United States in 1895. From modest beginnings in Worcester, Massachusetts, Kazanjian managed to enter Harvard Dental School. He went on to serve in World War I, earn a medical degree, and make remarkable advances in plastic surgery. He is remembered not only for his medical innovations and accomplishments, but also as a kind and modest person, "the gentle genius of plastic surgery."--Adapted from book jacket.
Miracle Man of the Western Front
Author: Hagop Martin Deranian
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 254
Book Description
In the intense fighting that marked World War I in Europe, an Armenian-American volunteer dentist quickly became known for his skill in treating the disfiguring facial injuries suffered by large numbers of British soldiers. Working originally under primitive conditions in makeshift hospitals near the battlefields of France, Varaztad H. Kazanjian exhibited a humane concern combined with innovative medical procedures that established his reputation and marked his subsequent career as a founder of the modern practice of plastic surgery. In recognition of his war service, Dr. Kazanjian became known as "the miracle man of the Western Front" and was invested by England's King George V in the most distinguished Order of St. Michael and St. George. Other honors followed as Dr. Kazanjian returned to the United States, where he continued his education and went on to a brilliant career as a surgeon, teacher at Harvard, and author of scientific articles. This biography traces the many influences that contributed to the remarkable success of the young man who fled from massacres in Ottoman Armenia to the United States in 1895. From modest beginnings in Worcester, Massachusetts, Kazanjian managed to enter Harvard Dental School. He went on to serve in World War I, earn a medical degree, and make remarkable advances in plastic surgery. He is remembered not only for his medical innovations and accomplishments, but also as a kind and modest person, "the gentle genius of plastic surgery."--Adapted from book jacket.
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 254
Book Description
In the intense fighting that marked World War I in Europe, an Armenian-American volunteer dentist quickly became known for his skill in treating the disfiguring facial injuries suffered by large numbers of British soldiers. Working originally under primitive conditions in makeshift hospitals near the battlefields of France, Varaztad H. Kazanjian exhibited a humane concern combined with innovative medical procedures that established his reputation and marked his subsequent career as a founder of the modern practice of plastic surgery. In recognition of his war service, Dr. Kazanjian became known as "the miracle man of the Western Front" and was invested by England's King George V in the most distinguished Order of St. Michael and St. George. Other honors followed as Dr. Kazanjian returned to the United States, where he continued his education and went on to a brilliant career as a surgeon, teacher at Harvard, and author of scientific articles. This biography traces the many influences that contributed to the remarkable success of the young man who fled from massacres in Ottoman Armenia to the United States in 1895. From modest beginnings in Worcester, Massachusetts, Kazanjian managed to enter Harvard Dental School. He went on to serve in World War I, earn a medical degree, and make remarkable advances in plastic surgery. He is remembered not only for his medical innovations and accomplishments, but also as a kind and modest person, "the gentle genius of plastic surgery."--Adapted from book jacket.
The Facemaker
Author: Lindsey Fitzharris
Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux
ISBN: 0374719667
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 235
Book Description
A New York Times Bestseller Finalist for the 2022 Kirkus Prize | Named a best book of the year by The Guardian "Enthralling. Harrowing. Heartbreaking. And utterly redemptive. Lindsey Fitzharris hit this one out of the park." —Erik Larson, author of The Splendid and the Vile 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 the first machine gun rang out over the Western Front, one thing was clear: humankind’s military technology had wildly surpassed its medical capabilities. Bodies were battered, gouged, hacked, and gassed. The First World 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 suffering. The Facemaker tells the extraordinary story of such an individual: the pioneering plastic surgeon Harold Gillies, who dedicated himself to reconstructing the burned and broken faces of the injured soldiers under his care. Gillies, a Cambridge-educated New Zealander, became interested in the nascent field of plastic surgery after encountering the human wreckage on the front. Returning to Britain, he established one of the world’s first hospitals dedicated entirely to facial reconstruction. There, Gillies assembled a unique group of practitioners whose task was to rebuild what had been torn apart, to re-create what had been destroyed. At a time when losing a limb made a soldier a hero, but losing a face made him a monster to a society largely intolerant of disfigurement, Gillies restored not just the faces of the wounded but also their spirits. The Facemaker places Gillies’s ingenious surgical innovations alongside the dramatic stories of soldiers whose lives were wrecked and repaired. The result is a vivid account of how medicine can be an art, and of what courage and imagination can accomplish in the presence of relentless horror.
Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux
ISBN: 0374719667
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 235
Book Description
A New York Times Bestseller Finalist for the 2022 Kirkus Prize | Named a best book of the year by The Guardian "Enthralling. Harrowing. Heartbreaking. And utterly redemptive. Lindsey Fitzharris hit this one out of the park." —Erik Larson, author of The Splendid and the Vile 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 the first machine gun rang out over the Western Front, one thing was clear: humankind’s military technology had wildly surpassed its medical capabilities. Bodies were battered, gouged, hacked, and gassed. The First World 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 suffering. The Facemaker tells the extraordinary story of such an individual: the pioneering plastic surgeon Harold Gillies, who dedicated himself to reconstructing the burned and broken faces of the injured soldiers under his care. Gillies, a Cambridge-educated New Zealander, became interested in the nascent field of plastic surgery after encountering the human wreckage on the front. Returning to Britain, he established one of the world’s first hospitals dedicated entirely to facial reconstruction. There, Gillies assembled a unique group of practitioners whose task was to rebuild what had been torn apart, to re-create what had been destroyed. At a time when losing a limb made a soldier a hero, but losing a face made him a monster to a society largely intolerant of disfigurement, Gillies restored not just the faces of the wounded but also their spirits. The Facemaker places Gillies’s ingenious surgical innovations alongside the dramatic stories of soldiers whose lives were wrecked and repaired. The result is a vivid account of how medicine can be an art, and of what courage and imagination can accomplish in the presence of relentless horror.
Reimagining the War Memorial, Reinterpreting the Great War
Author: Marzena Sokołowska-Paryż
Publisher: Cambridge Scholars Publishing
ISBN: 1443838454
Category : Literary Criticism
Languages : en
Pages : 225
Book Description
Reimagining the War Memorial, Reinterpreting the Great War: The Formats of British Commemorative Fiction is an in-depth analysis of the role of British war memorials in literature and film, in the wider context of the commemorative trend in contemporary culture. The Sheffield City Battalion Memorial, the Menin Gate Memorial, the Thiepval Memorial to the Missing of the Somme, the Royal Artillery Memorial, and the Shot at Dawn Memorial are the focus of the discussion, which aims to show how the meanings assigned to specific war memorials create ideologically diverse interpretations of the British experience of the Great War, ranging from the futility myth to the imperial sublime. The epistemological ambivalence of the war memorial lies at the heart of the analysis of the selected novels, films and plays, for the condemnation of a military conflict as a historical evil does not necessarily exclude the possibility of honouring the men who fought in it.
Publisher: Cambridge Scholars Publishing
ISBN: 1443838454
Category : Literary Criticism
Languages : en
Pages : 225
Book Description
Reimagining the War Memorial, Reinterpreting the Great War: The Formats of British Commemorative Fiction is an in-depth analysis of the role of British war memorials in literature and film, in the wider context of the commemorative trend in contemporary culture. The Sheffield City Battalion Memorial, the Menin Gate Memorial, the Thiepval Memorial to the Missing of the Somme, the Royal Artillery Memorial, and the Shot at Dawn Memorial are the focus of the discussion, which aims to show how the meanings assigned to specific war memorials create ideologically diverse interpretations of the British experience of the Great War, ranging from the futility myth to the imperial sublime. The epistemological ambivalence of the war memorial lies at the heart of the analysis of the selected novels, films and plays, for the condemnation of a military conflict as a historical evil does not necessarily exclude the possibility of honouring the men who fought in it.
Orthognathic Surgery E-Book
Author: Jeffrey C. Posnick
Publisher: Elsevier Health Sciences
ISBN: 0323791832
Category : Medical
Languages : en
Pages : 2304
Book Description
**Selected for Doody's Core Titles® 2024 in Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery** Find the latest thinking on the evaluation and treatment of dentofacial deformities! Principles and Practice of Orthognathic Surgery, 2nd Edition covers the concepts and skills required to diagnose and correct dentofacial deformities. Featuring thousands of images, this guide addresses planning, surgical techniques, surgical complications, classic growth patterns, and presentations of dentofacial deformity including common malformations, cleft jaw, and post-traumatic deformities, as well as aesthetic considerations. Case studies and step-by-step videos help you apply concepts and achieve real-life solutions. Written by Jeffrey C. Posnick, a noted expert in facial plastic surgery, this valuable reference will take your orthognathic skills to the next level. An enhanced eBook version included with every new print purchase provides access to a complete, fully searchable version of the text, along with videos of procedures, and much more — available on a variety of devices. - More than 8,000 photos and illustrations boost your understanding of key points and surgical techniques. - Logically organized material aids your thinking prior to developing treatment plans and executing surgery. - Current surgical protocols for Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons and Orthodontics put you at the forefront of the orthognathic surgery field. - NEW! In-depth content revision and clear artwork are added to this edition. - NEW! Virtual Surgical Planning chapter examines how VSP provides a useful tool for planning surgeries prior to entering the operating room. - NEW! 45 videos depict step-by-step approaches to essential orthognathic procedures and techniques. - NEW! Enhanced eBook version included with every new print purchase provides access to a complete, fully searchable version of the text, along with videos of procedures and much more! - NEW! More case studies are included, each demonstrating long-term results. - NEW! Up-to-date review and analysis of research literature is added.
Publisher: Elsevier Health Sciences
ISBN: 0323791832
Category : Medical
Languages : en
Pages : 2304
Book Description
**Selected for Doody's Core Titles® 2024 in Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery** Find the latest thinking on the evaluation and treatment of dentofacial deformities! Principles and Practice of Orthognathic Surgery, 2nd Edition covers the concepts and skills required to diagnose and correct dentofacial deformities. Featuring thousands of images, this guide addresses planning, surgical techniques, surgical complications, classic growth patterns, and presentations of dentofacial deformity including common malformations, cleft jaw, and post-traumatic deformities, as well as aesthetic considerations. Case studies and step-by-step videos help you apply concepts and achieve real-life solutions. Written by Jeffrey C. Posnick, a noted expert in facial plastic surgery, this valuable reference will take your orthognathic skills to the next level. An enhanced eBook version included with every new print purchase provides access to a complete, fully searchable version of the text, along with videos of procedures, and much more — available on a variety of devices. - More than 8,000 photos and illustrations boost your understanding of key points and surgical techniques. - Logically organized material aids your thinking prior to developing treatment plans and executing surgery. - Current surgical protocols for Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons and Orthodontics put you at the forefront of the orthognathic surgery field. - NEW! In-depth content revision and clear artwork are added to this edition. - NEW! Virtual Surgical Planning chapter examines how VSP provides a useful tool for planning surgeries prior to entering the operating room. - NEW! 45 videos depict step-by-step approaches to essential orthognathic procedures and techniques. - NEW! Enhanced eBook version included with every new print purchase provides access to a complete, fully searchable version of the text, along with videos of procedures and much more! - NEW! More case studies are included, each demonstrating long-term results. - NEW! Up-to-date review and analysis of research literature is added.
Pandora's DNA
Author: Lizzie Stark
Publisher: Chicago Review Press
ISBN: 1613748639
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 340
Book Description
2015 ALA Notable Book Would you cut out your healthy breasts and ovaries if you thought it might save your life? That's not a theoretical question for journalist Lizzie Stark's relatives, who grapple with the horrific legacy of cancer built into the family DNA, a BRCA mutation that has robbed most of her female relatives of breasts, ovaries, peace of mind, or life itself. In Pandora's DNA, Stark uses her family's experience to frame a larger story about the so-called breast cancer genes, exploring the morass of legal quandaries, scientific developments, medical breakthroughs, and ethical concerns that surround the BRCA mutations, from the troubling history of prophylactic surgery and the storied origins of the boob job to the landmark lawsuit against Myriad Genetics, which held patents on the BRCA genes every human carries in their body until the Supreme Court overturned them in 2013. Although a genetic test for cancer risk may sound like the height of scientific development, the treatment remains crude and barbaric. Through her own experience, Stark shows what it's like to live in a brave new world where gazing into a crystal ball of genetics has many unintended consequences.
Publisher: Chicago Review Press
ISBN: 1613748639
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 340
Book Description
2015 ALA Notable Book Would you cut out your healthy breasts and ovaries if you thought it might save your life? That's not a theoretical question for journalist Lizzie Stark's relatives, who grapple with the horrific legacy of cancer built into the family DNA, a BRCA mutation that has robbed most of her female relatives of breasts, ovaries, peace of mind, or life itself. In Pandora's DNA, Stark uses her family's experience to frame a larger story about the so-called breast cancer genes, exploring the morass of legal quandaries, scientific developments, medical breakthroughs, and ethical concerns that surround the BRCA mutations, from the troubling history of prophylactic surgery and the storied origins of the boob job to the landmark lawsuit against Myriad Genetics, which held patents on the BRCA genes every human carries in their body until the Supreme Court overturned them in 2013. Although a genetic test for cancer risk may sound like the height of scientific development, the treatment remains crude and barbaric. Through her own experience, Stark shows what it's like to live in a brave new world where gazing into a crystal ball of genetics has many unintended consequences.
All Quiet on the Western Front
Author: Erich Maria Remarque
Publisher: Random House
ISBN: 0593688678
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 0
Book Description
Widely acclaimed as the greatest war novel of all time, this classic tale of a young German soldier's harrowing experiences in the trenches of World War I is the basis for an Academy Award-winning film. With an introduction by bestselling author Sebastian Faulks. When twenty-year-old Paul Bäumer and his classmates enlist in the German army during World War I, they are full of youthful enthusiam. But the world of duty, culture, and progress they had been taught to believe in shatters under the first brutal bombardment in the trenches. Through the ensuing years of horror, Paul holds fast to a single vow: to fight against the principle of hate that meaninglessly pits young men of the same generation but different uniforms against one another. Erich Maria Remarque's classic novel not only portrays in vivid detail the combatants' physical and mental trauma, but dramatizes as well the tragic detachment from civilian life felt by many upon returning home. Remarque's stated intention--"to tell of a generation of men who, even though they may have escaped shells, were destroyed by the war"--remains as powerful and relevant as ever, a century after that conflict's end.
Publisher: Random House
ISBN: 0593688678
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 0
Book Description
Widely acclaimed as the greatest war novel of all time, this classic tale of a young German soldier's harrowing experiences in the trenches of World War I is the basis for an Academy Award-winning film. With an introduction by bestselling author Sebastian Faulks. When twenty-year-old Paul Bäumer and his classmates enlist in the German army during World War I, they are full of youthful enthusiam. But the world of duty, culture, and progress they had been taught to believe in shatters under the first brutal bombardment in the trenches. Through the ensuing years of horror, Paul holds fast to a single vow: to fight against the principle of hate that meaninglessly pits young men of the same generation but different uniforms against one another. Erich Maria Remarque's classic novel not only portrays in vivid detail the combatants' physical and mental trauma, but dramatizes as well the tragic detachment from civilian life felt by many upon returning home. Remarque's stated intention--"to tell of a generation of men who, even though they may have escaped shells, were destroyed by the war"--remains as powerful and relevant as ever, a century after that conflict's end.
Reconstructive Surgery and Modernisation in Twentieth-Century South Africa
Author: Suryakanthie Chetty
Publisher: Springer Nature
ISBN: 3031386736
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 355
Book Description
This book traces the career of pioneering South African plastic and reconstructive surgeon, Jack Penn, from its beginnings during the Second World War. It explores the establishment of Penn’s private practice, and his work in diverse countries, including Gabon, Japan and Israel, as he sought to rectify the injury caused by conflict. It also addresses his role on the President’s Council, established by Prime Minister P.W. Botha to introduce reform to the system of apartheid. Penn’s career is contextualised by modernisation which was a significant feature of twentieth-century South Africa. It was linked with race from the inception of the state in 1910 with racial segregation and paternalism. Penn’s work during the Second World War was part of a “modernist” bent by the state under Jan Smuts to take the lead in promoting science and technological development – which continued during apartheid. Modernisation was also fluid with state priority shifting between the two poles of development and security as apartheid policies were met with hostility both within the state and beyond its borders. Within the context of decolonisation, increasing black urbanisation required a balancing act on the part of the state to uphold the ideology of racial distinction while simultaneously addressing economic challenges – and this was reflected in the reform initiatives under Botha. Plastic and reconstructive surgery as evident in the work of Jack Penn is intertwined with this narrative of apartheid, modernisation and reform. It demonstrated Western prowess, with medicine and development a perceived bulwark against Communism. It also served as a means for the modernising apartheid state to initiate, maintain or enhance alliances with other states in the facing of mounting isolation and international condemnation. The career of Jack Penn, then, is a lens through which the contradictions, complexities and anxieties of twentieth-century South Africa are exposed.
Publisher: Springer Nature
ISBN: 3031386736
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 355
Book Description
This book traces the career of pioneering South African plastic and reconstructive surgeon, Jack Penn, from its beginnings during the Second World War. It explores the establishment of Penn’s private practice, and his work in diverse countries, including Gabon, Japan and Israel, as he sought to rectify the injury caused by conflict. It also addresses his role on the President’s Council, established by Prime Minister P.W. Botha to introduce reform to the system of apartheid. Penn’s career is contextualised by modernisation which was a significant feature of twentieth-century South Africa. It was linked with race from the inception of the state in 1910 with racial segregation and paternalism. Penn’s work during the Second World War was part of a “modernist” bent by the state under Jan Smuts to take the lead in promoting science and technological development – which continued during apartheid. Modernisation was also fluid with state priority shifting between the two poles of development and security as apartheid policies were met with hostility both within the state and beyond its borders. Within the context of decolonisation, increasing black urbanisation required a balancing act on the part of the state to uphold the ideology of racial distinction while simultaneously addressing economic challenges – and this was reflected in the reform initiatives under Botha. Plastic and reconstructive surgery as evident in the work of Jack Penn is intertwined with this narrative of apartheid, modernisation and reform. It demonstrated Western prowess, with medicine and development a perceived bulwark against Communism. It also served as a means for the modernising apartheid state to initiate, maintain or enhance alliances with other states in the facing of mounting isolation and international condemnation. The career of Jack Penn, then, is a lens through which the contradictions, complexities and anxieties of twentieth-century South Africa are exposed.
The History of Maxillofacial Surgery
Author: Elie M. Ferneini
Publisher: Springer Nature
ISBN: 3030895637
Category : Medical
Languages : en
Pages : 447
Book Description
The multi-authored, multi-institutional, and multi-specialty-based text is designed as a valuable resource for surgeons working on the maxillofacial region. Meant to be a clinically based history of the past, the present, and the future of the field, this is a one-of-a-kind text that will cater to a variety of professions: from oral & maxillofacial surgeons, plastic and reconstructive surgeons, otolaryngologists – head and neck surgeons, cosmetic surgeons and the general dental practitioner. The History of Maxillofacial Surgery: An Evidence-Based Journey is divided into three sections for ease of understanding: The first section gives an overview of the early history; the second section provides a discussion of conventional procedures; and the third section gives a history of advanced procedures and techniques. By understanding the fundamental procedures and techniques of the field, practitioners can continue to further the field by building upon the past. Including historic case studies paired with real patient photos, this text details why professionals do what they do today with insight directly from the clinic. To provide a unique perspective the book is edited by three individuals at different stages of their careers. Each chapter is authored by a young surgeon paired with a seasoned surgeon.
Publisher: Springer Nature
ISBN: 3030895637
Category : Medical
Languages : en
Pages : 447
Book Description
The multi-authored, multi-institutional, and multi-specialty-based text is designed as a valuable resource for surgeons working on the maxillofacial region. Meant to be a clinically based history of the past, the present, and the future of the field, this is a one-of-a-kind text that will cater to a variety of professions: from oral & maxillofacial surgeons, plastic and reconstructive surgeons, otolaryngologists – head and neck surgeons, cosmetic surgeons and the general dental practitioner. The History of Maxillofacial Surgery: An Evidence-Based Journey is divided into three sections for ease of understanding: The first section gives an overview of the early history; the second section provides a discussion of conventional procedures; and the third section gives a history of advanced procedures and techniques. By understanding the fundamental procedures and techniques of the field, practitioners can continue to further the field by building upon the past. Including historic case studies paired with real patient photos, this text details why professionals do what they do today with insight directly from the clinic. To provide a unique perspective the book is edited by three individuals at different stages of their careers. Each chapter is authored by a young surgeon paired with a seasoned surgeon.
A History of Plastic Surgery
Author: Paolo Santoni-Rugiu
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
ISBN: 3540462414
Category : Medical
Languages : en
Pages : 402
Book Description
This book covers the history of plastic surgery from the remarkable achievements of such ancient civilizations as India and Egypt up to the revolutionary techniques developed at the end of the Middle Age, the Renaissance and beyond. Coverage details how the knowledge of wound healing has changed and influenced plastic surgery, describes the development of various surgical reconstructive procedures and details the birth of Cosmetic Surgery.
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
ISBN: 3540462414
Category : Medical
Languages : en
Pages : 402
Book Description
This book covers the history of plastic surgery from the remarkable achievements of such ancient civilizations as India and Egypt up to the revolutionary techniques developed at the end of the Middle Age, the Renaissance and beyond. Coverage details how the knowledge of wound healing has changed and influenced plastic surgery, describes the development of various surgical reconstructive procedures and details the birth of Cosmetic Surgery.
Beauty Junkies
Author: Alex Kuczynski
Publisher: Harmony
ISBN: 0767914112
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 306
Book Description
A star writer for the New York Times Styles section captures the follies, frauds, and fanaticism that fuel the American pursuit of youth and beauty in a wickedly revealing excursion into the burgeoning business of cosmetic enhancement. Americans are aging faster and getting fatter than any other population on the planet. At the same time, our popular notions of perfect beauty have become so strict it seems even Barbie wouldn’t have a chance of making it into the local beauty pageant. Aging may be a natural fact of life, but for a growing number of Americans its hallmarks—wrinkles, love handles, jiggling flesh—are seen as obstacles to be conquered on the path to lasting, flawless beauty. In Beauty Junkies Alex Kuczynski, whose sly wit and fearless reporting in the Times has won her fans across the country, delivers a fresh and irresistible look at America's increasingly desperate pursuit of ultimate beauty by any means necessary. From a group of high-maintenance New York City women who devote themselves to preserving their looks twenty-four hours a day, to a “surgery safari” in South Africa complete with “after” photographs of magically rejuvenated patients posing with wild animals, to a podiatrist's office in Manhattan where a “foot face-lift” provides women with the right fit for their $700 Jimmy Choos, Kuczynski portrays the all-American quest for self-transformation in all its extremes. In New York, lawyers become Botox junkies in an effort to remain poker-faced. In Los Angeles, women of an uncertain age nip and tuck their most private areas, so that every inch of their bodies is as taut as their lifted faces. Across the country, young women graduating from high school receive gifts of breast implants – from their parents. As medicine and technology stretch the boundaries of biology, Kuczynski asks whether cosmetic surgery might even be part of human evolution, a kind of cosmetic survival of the fittest – or firmest? With incomparable portraits of obsessive patients and the equally obsessed doctors who cater to their dreams, Beauty Junkies examines the hype, the hope, and the questionable ethics surrounding the advent of each new miraculous technique. Lively and entertaining, thought-provoking and disturbing, Beauty Junkies is destined to be one of the most talked-about books of the season.
Publisher: Harmony
ISBN: 0767914112
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 306
Book Description
A star writer for the New York Times Styles section captures the follies, frauds, and fanaticism that fuel the American pursuit of youth and beauty in a wickedly revealing excursion into the burgeoning business of cosmetic enhancement. Americans are aging faster and getting fatter than any other population on the planet. At the same time, our popular notions of perfect beauty have become so strict it seems even Barbie wouldn’t have a chance of making it into the local beauty pageant. Aging may be a natural fact of life, but for a growing number of Americans its hallmarks—wrinkles, love handles, jiggling flesh—are seen as obstacles to be conquered on the path to lasting, flawless beauty. In Beauty Junkies Alex Kuczynski, whose sly wit and fearless reporting in the Times has won her fans across the country, delivers a fresh and irresistible look at America's increasingly desperate pursuit of ultimate beauty by any means necessary. From a group of high-maintenance New York City women who devote themselves to preserving their looks twenty-four hours a day, to a “surgery safari” in South Africa complete with “after” photographs of magically rejuvenated patients posing with wild animals, to a podiatrist's office in Manhattan where a “foot face-lift” provides women with the right fit for their $700 Jimmy Choos, Kuczynski portrays the all-American quest for self-transformation in all its extremes. In New York, lawyers become Botox junkies in an effort to remain poker-faced. In Los Angeles, women of an uncertain age nip and tuck their most private areas, so that every inch of their bodies is as taut as their lifted faces. Across the country, young women graduating from high school receive gifts of breast implants – from their parents. As medicine and technology stretch the boundaries of biology, Kuczynski asks whether cosmetic surgery might even be part of human evolution, a kind of cosmetic survival of the fittest – or firmest? With incomparable portraits of obsessive patients and the equally obsessed doctors who cater to their dreams, Beauty Junkies examines the hype, the hope, and the questionable ethics surrounding the advent of each new miraculous technique. Lively and entertaining, thought-provoking and disturbing, Beauty Junkies is destined to be one of the most talked-about books of the season.