For New Zealanders, the First World War was not just a grueling conflict
but also the nation's biggest health challenge. Military personnel had
to deal with horrific injuries caused by high velocity bullets,
artillery fire and chemical weapons. Infectious diseases were a constant
and grave threat. In the midst of this, the devastating 1918 influenza
pandemic hit both troops overseas and New Zealanders at home. For the
first time, this book tells the collective story of how our troops were
supported and cared for by dedicated medical teams. It explores the
coming of age of New Zealand health services and details such
significant figures as Henry Pickerill and Harold Gillies, who rebuilt
shattered faces and treated burn victims--in doing becoming the fathers
of plastic surgery.