Gueules cassées

Gueules cassées (broken faces)[1] is a French expression for facially disfigured servicemen that originated in World War I.

Colonel Yves Picot is said to have coined the term when he was refused entry to a gathering for those disabled from the war.

[3] The introduction of the steel helmet in 1915 made head injuries more 'survivable', but this reduction of mortality meant a mutilated life for thousands.

[5] Surgeons conducted experiments with bone, cartilage and tissue transplants and the likes of Hippolyte Morestin, Harold Gillies and Léon Dufourmentel made enormous advances.

Music Diamanda Galás Broken Gargoyles: an oratorio for voices, strings, synthesizers, and percussion based upon the poetry of Georg Heym and Ernst Friedrich