Tagliacozzi's Nosejob

[Bruce Appelbaum]

     Recently, I had a skin cancer removed from the top of the last joint 
     of my middle finger (no relevance here, it could have been any 
     finger).  The excision was very large (covering the entire surface of 
     the joint) and deep, down to the bone, and required reconstructive 
     surgery.
     
     One plastic surgeon wanted to do a skin flap procedure.  This required 
     slicing, but not entirely removing the skin from the bottom of the 
     index finger and flapping it over the open wound on the middle finger. 
      The two fingers would be bound together for a couple of weeks until 
     the flap grafted itself to the wound, forming a layer of skin.  Once 
     the graft took, the flap would be sliced off the source and then the 
     skin from the index finger would have to regenerate itself.
     
     Seemed a bit medieval to me, so I got a second opinion from another 
     surgeon.  He thought a simple skin graft, taking a piece of skin the 
     size of a half dollar from the top of my thigh would work.  Guess who 
     did the surgery.  No muss, no fuss.
     
     
     At least nobody mentioned leeches.
     
     
     
______________________________ Reply Separator _________________________________
Subject: Tagliacozzi's Nosejob
Author:  "Nigel E. Richardson" <nigel at impolex.demon.co.uk> at Internet 
Date:    6/25/96 12:24 AM
     
     
> From:          "Wolfe, Skip" <crw4 at NIP1.EM.CDC.GOV>
     
> According to Dorland's Medical Dictionary, a "tagliacotian rhinoplasty" is 
> "the reconstruction of a nose by a flap of skin taken from the arm, the flap 
> remaining attached to the arm until union has taken place; called also 
> Italian or tagliacotian operation."  Sounds like fun!  As to the man 
> himself, Dorland's arch rival, Stedman's Medical Dictionary sez only, 
> "Gasparo Tagliacozzi, Italian surgeon, 1546-1599," and describes the 
> operation much as Dorland did.  No illustrations, unfortunately, in either 
> one.
     
Well, anyone wanting to see a Victorian engraving of this 
amazing piece of ingenuity might be able to find it as a JPG attached to this 
e-mail. Otherwise, go to my website and it's there in my diary for
today.
     
Nigel
     
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