Plastic Surgery in Children

The past two decades have brought forth intensive campaigns in behalf of crippled and otherwise physically handicapped children of this country. Equally serious, but less widely publicized, are the childhood handicaps that are the results of deformity. By "deformity" we refer to those visible abnormalities which handicap their victims because of a peculiar appearance. As examples of this group, we might cite harelip and cleft palate, facial birthmarks, saddle nose, hunchback, webbed fingers, crossed eyes, ptosis of the eyelid, disfiguring scars, lop ears, crooked teeth and contractures resulting from burns. Many of these are congenital deformities and others are acquired during childhood. Of the acquired group, many might have been prevented or minimized at their onset. In addition to efforts at prevention, the greatest service to such children is the work being done in the correction of such defects by plastic surgery. Plastic surgeons must, of course, give due credit