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#1
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08-03-2012, 09:24 PM
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 My Rank: SERGEANT Poster Rank:1238 Female Join Date: Dec 2010 Posts: 501 Mentioned: 1 Post(s) Quoted: 25 Post(s)
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Walter Yeo WWI Sailor and Plastic Surgery Recipient.
(Note: I did a search on here and didn't see anything similar--so if there is already something here please forgive me.) From Wikipedia: Walter Ernest O'Neil Yeo (20 October 1890 – 1960) was a sailor during World War I, and is thought to be the first person to benefit from advanced plastic surgery, namely a skin flap. Early life Yeo was the youngest of three children born to Petty Officer First Class Francis Yeo and his wife Rhoda. Three weeks after his birth, his father was killed aboard the HMS Serpent while en route to Sierra Leone, after hitting rocks in Punta Bay, Spain. Three of the 150 people on board survived the crash. His mother was an alemaker at the Royal William Victualling Yard. By 1901 Yeo was living in Plymouth with his mother, Rhoda Sarah Jarman, and his two sisters, Adelaide and Elsie. Navy Yeo enlisted into the Royal Navy aged 12, serving as a Bugler until 1911. He was promoted to Leading Seaman in 1912, becoming a Petty Officer in 1915 and a Warrant Officer in June 1917.[1] At this time Walter was married to Ada and they purchased a family home in Plymouth. Injuries Yeo was wounded on 31 May 1916, during the Battle of Jutland, while manning the guns aboard the battleship HMS Warspite.[1] He sustained terrible facial injuries, including the loss of upper and lower eyelids.[1] There is some uncertainty as to where he was first admitted to hospital, due to the poor documentation. However, he is known to have been admitted to Plymouth Hospital while waiting for a place at Queen Mary's Hospital in Sidcup, Kent, which was granted on 8 August 1917. He was treated by Sir Harold Gillies, the first man to transfer skin from undamaged areas on the body.[1] Gillies opened a specialist ward at Queen Mary's Hospital for the treatment of the facially-wounded.[1] Walter Yeo is thought to have been one of the first patients to be treated with this newly-developed technique; a form of skin transplantation called a 'tubed pedicle' flap.[1] (The first pic below was when he was admitted to the hospital after being injured. The second pic is before he got the plastic surgery, when most of his initial injuries were healed but left him with no eyelids. Pic 3 is the surgery procedure and the last pic is the result.) Aftermath During the long process of surgery, a 'mask' of skin was transplanted across Yeo's face and eyes, including new eyelids. By July 1919, he was found to be fit for active service again and was recorded as having completed courses in September 1919. He underwent a further operation in August 1921, after which his disfigurement was recorded as 'improved, but still severe', and he was recommended for medical discharge, which took place on 15 December 1921. Walter later received further treatment for a corneal ulcer at the Royal Naval Hospital in Plymouth in 1938. Personal and later life Walter married Ada Edwards in 1914 in Plymouth, Devon. They had two daughters, the first being Lilian Evelyn Yeo, born 21 October 1914 in Plymouth. The second was called Doreen Y. Yeo, born 1919. Walter Yeo died in his birthtown Plymouth, where he had spent the majority of his life, in 1960. Additional Sources: http://www.yeosociety.com/biographie...ticsurgery.htm  · |
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#2
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08-03-2012, 09:27 PM
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| My Rank: SERGEANT Poster Rank:1238 Female Join Date: Dec 2010 Posts: 501 Mentioned: 1 Post(s) Quoted: 25 Post(s)
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Re: Walter Yeo WWI Sailor and Plastic Surgery Recipient.
Crap! I just realized that even though the pics are vintage, this thread should be in the medical category. Please forgive me for posting in the wrong spot!  |
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#5
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08-07-2012, 06:46 PM
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 ★The Queen★ Poster Rank:67 Female Join Date: Jun 2011 Posts: 23,498
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Mentioned: 95 Post(s) Quoted: 3083 Post(s)
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Re: Walter Yeo WWI Sailor and Plastic Surgery Recipient.
I forgive you ;) I didn't even notice. It must have been creepy not having eyelids or being able to close your eyes or blink if you have something in your eye. |
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#10
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08-11-2012, 03:47 PM
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 My Rank: PRIVATE Poster Rank:14758 female Join Date: Jul 2012 Posts: 6 Mentioned: 0 Post(s) Quoted: 0 Post(s)
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Re: Walter Yeo WWI Sailor and Plastic Surgery Recipient.
I would wear a cape and paint the scars black yelling "I have arrived" even at the grocery store.  Nice post!
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