The Madison daily leader. [volume] (Madison, S.D.) 1890-current, 1918-02-23

Than 1000 Poilus D%isfigured Too
Terribly to BE Seen.
An American sculptress-Mrs. May
nard Ladd of New York, Philadelphia
and Boston-has just opened an atelier
In the Latin Quarter to make false
Eases for French soldiers whose WIS.,
ages have been so horribly mutilated
that the men eannot appear in public
unnasked.
Working from photographs taken of
her subjects before they were disfg.
ured. and from the patients them.
selves, Mrs. Maynard Ladd first models
the face, as Ii was originally, In clay.
Then a thin copper mask as light as
paper Is made by an electrolytlc
process, after which 1t Is silvered. The
shell-like mask Is her painted in oils
to resemble the skin and complexion
Of the man identically.
The lips are made slightly parted,
permitting a cigarette to be thrust
through the aperture; holes are perfo-
rated through the nostrils for breath
Ing. and apertures are left for the eyes,
unless the subject has been blinded.
Usually mustaches are placed on the
upper lip, and spectacles are worn,
bars reaching back over the ears to
keep the spectacles In place also serve
to hold the false face on.
More than two thousand French Poi
lus have been disfigured so terribly
that facial reconstruction" Is neces-
sary before the men can be seen In
public. Usually these soldiers are the
victims of the Germans liquid flames
Or blazing oil, though many were
wounded by high explosives and shrap-
nel. All of these men will be treated
eventually by skilled French surgeons
who have made wonderful strides cut
ting. grating and restoring shattered
countenances.
Many Must Wait.
But there are only q few savants
capable Of performing these opera
lions, and the treatment is very slow
and tedious. As a result only a small
proportion of the 'mutiles," as the dis
figured soldiers are called, have re-
ceived treatment, and many may have
to walt two and three years before
their time m for the reconstruc-
tion-
Mrs Maynard Ladds false faces arc
designed to be worn by these men dur
ing the time that they are waiting for
their treatment to begin and during
the course Of operations that will be
performed upon them The copper
masks will last indefinitely, and MAJ
be washed and cleansed with soap and
water. Rubber and gelatin masks have
been experimental with in the past,
but they have not given satisfactory
results because Of their fragility. Their
falsity was always plainly apparent
because they were not constructed by
experts
Three 'mutiles have been assigned
to me to begin on" said Mrs. Maynard
Ladd, In her studio at 70 bis Rue
Notre Dame des Champs as she
worked on a clay model Of the head of
a Poilu whose entire lower Jaw and
left cheek had been shot away and
whose nose was blown of In the fight
ing on the Chemin des Danes last
summer.
Now this case Is interesting be-
cause the patient has his eyes. So the
false face will not include q forehead.
1t win have a chin like the soldier
! had before he was wounded, and 1t will
| run back to his throat. Then there
viii he the regular nose and the mask
D will run up to below the eyes. The
, man will wear spectacles, which will
5 help TO hide the juncture of the mask
q and the flesh.
e. Noses Reproduced.
r I'm cases where q mans nose re-
mains II will fit snugly inside the space
5 left in the nose ON the mask-which
y will be made large enough to accom-
: modate the real member. In cases
e where the nose has been shot away,
~however-and there are many like
q that-the mans normal nose will be
Z reproduced exactly as it was before
r and there will be p~erforations through
the nostrils for him to breathe.
II am going to make all of the masks
with the lips slightly apart. This will
, obviate the grotesqueness of hearing
! a man speak through closed lips and
will also permit a 'mutile' to smoke
while wearing his mask. Further II
! will give a more cheerful aspect, a.
. though the man was smiling.
= Capt. Derwent Wood, an English
sculptor, originated the idea of max
: ing these artificial faces for mel
whose appearance would be so ghastl,
. that they could not get work or ever
appear OF the street because Of theil
frightful wounds. He has been max
ing masks for more than two years
and has achieved some wonderful re
suits.
a ale ALWAYS mokoc maSks with IN,