PLASTIC OPERATIONS IN THE FACE

Surgical operations are usually designed to save life or to increase function. Even plastic operations on other parts of the body than the face have as their chief object the restoration of function. Operations on the vaginal outlet are performed for the purpose of correcting malpositions. of the uterus or of returning the bladder and rectum to their proper position and so rendering these organs better able to functionate normally. Plastic operations on the hands or feet for deformities, on the bowel or bladder for fistulous openings, or on the throat or mouth for congenital defects, are intended to restore to usefulness the parts affected. Plastic operations on the face, however, are done chiefly for their cosmetic effect, as the function of no organ is materially altered by the facial deformities which such operations are designed to correct.While the correction of facial deformities cannot be classed as life-saving, such