The Waterbury Democrat., 1943-12-09

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 Men who have lost their eyelids -and weep constantly as a result stop crying here; they're fitted with brand-new lids made from the in- side skin of their arms.
 Miracles of plastic surgery are taking place in this remote English village under the direction of New Zealander, Dr. Archibald H. Mo- Indoe. who spent 10 years studying at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn. More than 1000 operations have been performed since the hos pital was opened four years ago. Americans. through the British War Relief society, have just contributed $120, ,000 to build new operating clinic. At the moment operations are carried out in the draughty children's ward.
 Most of the patients here are men who've looked in the glass and said, I'll never be able to work again oT marry. I I'on't even be able to face other people,
 Yet, after one or two operations they are amazed to find that they have enough confidence to go, al- ways with another patient, to a factory, where they work in pairs. Some, awaiting further surgery, may have wire cages on the lower half of their faces instaed of jaws. They may be facing 25 more oper- ations extending over two years. Vof Y1oonv hovo hoar afFarol ,1orf war jobs by the factory manage ment.
 fumbled for words when I saw the bandaged face of an American fortress pilot, but he was cheerful
 You should see the colored pho- tographs taken when I arrived, he grinned. T look a lot better now"
 Flyers with green hands-green from burns-with blistered black ened faces, are given new skin. Half a missing hand is made out of thick skin from the stomach, a part of the body which has good blood supply. New eyebrows are made from a patients hair. Noses come from hips, because the hip is easy to get at and the skin easily carved. This hospital owes great deal to an American physician, Dr. E. c. Padgett. Kansas City, Mo-, who invented a skin-removing ma chine which slices flesh thinner than tissue paper.
 Men go about town here in all stages of plastic surgery. Yet mo- body stares. This quaint old village is in the front line of the war; the Battle of Britain was fought over head and the people are used to war casualties. That's one reason it was selected as site of the hos- pital.
 The nurses here are not only the best in their line, but the best-look- ing girls that can be found. At first authorities feared they might hesi- tate at sight of the patients. They not only nurse them, though-they marry them. There have been eight weddings since the hospital opened.
 Flight It. Holebrook Mahn, Den yer, Col. not only found new legs here, but also wife. He spent IA days in a dinghy in the icy waters of the North Sea. Today he's en- gagged to the WAAN orderly who gave him his saline baths.
 Somehow this hospital manages to be cheery place. Patients share the same words 50 the wont brood in solitude over their disfig- urements. They roam the town, go- ing to dances and drinking beer at the pub. An RAF sergeant lives with them as their father -confessor and, if necessary, their companion on binges. They can have beer in their mess and wear their regular uniforms instead of dreary "hospi- tai blue" They play billiards and read, not discarded novels people have given away to clear their cup boards, but current best-sellers.
 The leading plastic, surgery cen- ter in Britain is cheery place, with wide windows, fresh flowers and pretty girls.