Hopkinsville Kentuckian. [volume] (Hopkinsville, Ky.) 1889-1918, 1918-03-07

Sculptures Models Fac, ss II Was Orig
Insiiy, Working From photographs
and From the Patient, Then Copper
Mask Light a. Paper 10 msde--mors
MAR 1000 PoIIus plshsured Too
Terribly 10 BE Seen.
An American sculptress-Mrs. May
nard Ladd Of New York, Philadelphia
ind Boston-has Just opened an atelier
In the Latin Quarter 10 make false
Eases for French soldiers whose Wis
ages have been so horribly mutilated
that the men cannot appear In public
unmasked.
Working from photographs taken of
her subjects before they were disfig-
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 Hight as
paper is made by an electrolytic
process. after which II Is silvered. The
shell-like mask Is then painted in oils
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 Pol
ius have been disfgured 80 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 shrnp-
mel. All of these men will be treated
eventually by skilled French surgeons
who have made wonderful strides cut
ung grating and restoring shattered
sountenances.
Many Must Wait.
But there are only a few savants
capable OF performing these opera
tlons, and the treatment Is very slow
and tedious. AS result only a small
proportion OF the "mutiles," as the dis
figured soldiers are called, have re-
celved treatment. and many may have
TO walt two and three years before
their time comes for the reconstruc-
ton.
~AAb. Maynard Ladds' false faces are
designed 10 be worn by these men dur
Ing the time that they are waiting for
their treatment 10 begin and during
the course Of operations that will be
performed upon them. The copper
masks will last indefinitely, and may
be washed and eleansed with soap and
water. Rubber and gelatin masks have
been experimental with In the past,
but they have not glven satisfactory
results because of taeir fragilIty. Their
falsity was always plainly apparent
because they were not constructed by
experts.
"Three 'mGtiles' have been assigned
TO me to begin on" said Mrs. Maynard
Ladd, Ia her studio at 40 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.
r. snow this case Is interesting be-
cause the patient has his eyes. SO the
false face will not include a forehead.
II will have chin like the soldier
had before he was wounded. and Il viii
run back 20 his throat. Then there
will be the regular nose and the mask
will run up TO below the eyes. The
man will wear spectacles. which win
help TO hide the juncture Of the mask
and the flesh.
Noses Reproduced.
"in cases where a mans nose re-
mains II win AZ snugly inside the space
left In the nose on the mask-whlch
win be made large enough TO accom-
modate the real member. In cases
where the nose has been shot away.
6SNever-nnd there are many like
that-the mans normal nose viii be
reproduced exactly as II was before
and there will be perforations through
the nostrils for him to breathe.
II am going 10 make all Of the masks
with the lips slightly apart. This will
obviate the grotesqueness OF hearing
a man speak through closed lips and
VIII also permit a 'mutile' 10 smoke
while wearing his mask. Further II
VIII give n more cheerful aspect. as
though the man was smiling.
capt. Derwent Wood. an English !
sculptor. originated the Idea OF MAX
9ng these artificial faces for men
whose appearance would be so CHASTITY
that they could not get work or even
appear on the street because OF their
frightful wounds. He has been max