Anaplastology (''Gk. ''ana''-again, anew, upon ''plastos''-something made, formed, molded ''logy''-the study of'') is a branch of medicine dealing with the prosthetic rehabilitation of an absent, disfigured or malformed anatomically critical location of the face or body. The term ''anaplastology'' was coined by

Walter G. Spohn Walter G. Spohn (June 5, 1914 - January 24, 2003) was the founder of the American Anaplastology Association, and coined the phrase anaplastology. In 2008, the American Anaplastology Association became the International Anaplastology Association. E ...

and is used worldwide. An anaplastologist (also known as a

maxillofacial prosthetist and technologist Maxillofacial prosthetist and technologist is the term used in the United Kingdom for a specialist who delivers facial, ocular and other prostheses which restore form and function to the body. In the United States, this specialty is known as ana ...

in the UK) is an individual who has the knowledge and skill set to provide the service of customizing a facial ( craniofacial prosthesis), ocular or

somatic prosthesis Somatic may refer to: * Somatic (biology), referring to the cells of the body in contrast to the germ line cells ** Somatic cell, a non-gametic cell in a multicellular organism * Somatic nervous system, the portion of the vertebrate nervous syst ...

. In locations around the world where facial, ocular and somatic prostheses are not readily available, a

dentist A dentist, also known as a dental surgeon, is a health care professional who specializes in dentistry (the diagnosis, prevention, management, and treatment of diseases and conditions of the mouth, oral cavity and other aspects of the craniofaci ...

who specializes in maxillofacial prosthetics (prosthodontics), or a dental technician or an ocularist, may also be titled an anaplastologist. In urban or more developed locations, an individual referred to as an anaplastologist is one who solely works with facial, ocular or somatic prostheses. In such a setting, there are times the anaplastologist collaborates with prosthodontists and ocularists. The studies of an anaplastologist consist of the arts and sciences. Visual arts are studied, namely photography,

illustration An illustration is a decoration, interpretation or visual explanation of a text, concept or process, designed for integration in print and digital published media, such as posters, flyers, magazines, books, teaching materials, animations, vid ...

, sculpture, and painting. Biology,

behavioral sciences Behavioral sciences explore the cognitive processes within organisms and the behavioral interactions between organisms in the natural world. It involves the systematic analysis and investigation of human and animal behavior through naturalistic o ...

, materials science, and physics are the studied sciences with emphases in

superficial anatomy Surface anatomy (also called superficial anatomy and visual anatomy) is the study of the external features of the body of an animal.Seeley (2003) chap.1 p.2 In birds this is termed ''topography''. Surface anatomy deals with anatomical features t ...

and physiology of humans, polymer science, optics, dermatology, oral and maxillofacial surgery, otolaryngology, and oncology to name a few. Certification in the field of anaplastology is provided by the Board for Certification in Clinical Anaplastology (BCCA). Professionals certified by the BCCA are designated as Certified Clinical Anaplastologists and denote their credential with the CCA title.

History

In the

Battle of the Somme The Battle of the Somme ( French: Bataille de la Somme), also known as the Somme offensive, was a battle of the First World War fought by the armies of the British Empire and French Third Republic against the German Empire. It took place bet ...

, an estimated 4,000,000 shots were fired, causing 20,000

facial injuries Facial trauma, also called maxillofacial trauma, is any physical trauma to the face. Facial trauma can involve soft tissue injuries such as burns, lacerations and bruises, or fractures of the facial bones such as nasal fractures and fractures ...

. Individuals whose injuries were unable to be treated with plastic surgery or reconstructive surgery techniques available to them at the time were given the option of wearing customized pieces to restore the natural appearance of their face. These pieces were crafted by sculptors. A notable sculptor who created prosthetic pieces for victims of war was

Anna Coleman Ladd Anna Coleman Watts Ladd (July 15, 1878 – June 3, 1939) was an American sculptor in Manchester, Massachusetts, who devoted her time and skills throughout World War I to designing prosthetics for soldiers who were disfigured from injuries recei ...

, a member of the Red Cross who made casts of her patients' faces and then, by hand, would create pieces out of galvanized copper, tin foil, and human hair for them to wear. Ladd's pieces were secured with bands around the head, which were often concealed by false eyeglasses. In 1980

and a group of like-minded colleagues founded the American Anaplastology Association (AAA) at

Stanford University Stanford University, officially Leland Stanford Junior University, is a private research university in Stanford, California. The campus occupies , among the largest in the United States, and enrolls over 17,000 students. Stanford is consider ...

, in Palo Alto, California.

In the media

In the 1986 musical, Andrew Lloyd Weber's The Phantom of the Opera, the character Erik wears a facial mask to hide his facial deformities. In the 2004 film, The Libertine, John Wilmot, 2nd Earl of Rochester, as portrayed by American actor

Johnny Depp John Christopher Depp II (born June 9, 1963) is an American actor and musician. He is the recipient of multiple accolades, including a Golden Globe Award and a Screen Actors Guild Award, in addition to nominations for three Academy Award ...

is shown to wear a facial mask to cover the sores on his face caused by

syphilis Syphilis () is a sexually transmitted infection caused by the bacterium ''Treponema pallidum'' subspecies ''pallidum''. The signs and symptoms of syphilis vary depending in which of the four stages it presents (primary, secondary, latent, an ...

. In the 2010 television show

Boardwalk Empire ''Boardwalk Empire'' is an American period crime drama television series created by Terence Winter and broadcast on the premium cable channel HBO. The series is set chiefly in Atlantic City, New Jersey, during the Prohibition era of the 1920s and ...

, the character Richard Harrow wears a tin mask with glasses to hide the disfigurement of his face he endured during his service as a soldier in World War I.

References

{{Reflist

External links

International Anaplastology Association

Board for Certification in Clinical Anaplastology
Plastic surgery Rehabilitation medicine