The Edwardians had Cosmetic Surgery & it Wasn't Dissimilar to Today

[@bernadettebanner]

🔎👒 Download June's Journey for free here: woo.ga/ylxruy

[@the_Pons]

I find you to usually be very trustworthy and transparent, but regarding June's Journey I really think that if you're gonna stress that the game is free to download, you could also be honest and transparent enough to mention that it has in-game charges that are hard to avoid. Granted, most mobile app games do have in-game charges, but some are low and/or basically elective, and some are almost impossible to avoid, like with this

[@redheadsg1]

June's Journey is ANYTHING but relaxing, especially Board Sweep event.

[@KanonBlack13]

​@@the_Ponsthe charges are completely by choice. Wdym? Is not like they can make you buy a piece of decoration, it is always elective.

[@the_Pons]

@@KanonBlack13 I mind because the ability to advance in or finish a game should not come with a charge. If one reads reviewa, a lot of people feel like it hard/near impossible to advance and/or finish the game after a certain point. Also, my opinion was of Bernadette's neglect to mention the charges, not that the game developers made the game with charges in the first place, since that's not something Bernadette can control

[@KanonBlack13]

@@redheadsg1 that's where I find the more falsehood in all these KZbinrs' advertisement. That game took away my mental health. The coffees, plants and constant team pressure started to feel cult like. It becomes a job. I booked out after almost two years of playing it.

[@gothichinata4332]

Bernadette rolling over her patterns in the end is just sewing/crafting in a nutshell. No matter how large and nice your table is, you always somehow end up back on the floor.

[@susanneberry236]

I'm a floor troll. I lay-out patterns and cut fabric on the floor because the fabric smoothes out nicely and less fatigue during the process.

[@Ungeboren1988]

Well nothings bigger then the Floor and you gain space on table to put other things that could brake etc to be out of the way and not interfere...

[@Kehy_ThisNameWasAlreadyTaken]

The Floor is my largest available space. I have no choice but to return loyally for almost every project

[@victoriabarclay3556]

nice comment! I wish I could, but two words- Husky dog.

[@thundercat287]

​@@victoriabarclay3556My first dog loved lying on my patterns and fabric. My current dog is a traumatized rescue who will move somewhere else if she sees anyone wanting to use her tanning floor space.

[@claram5482]

Spanish writer Emilia Pardo Bazán wrote in 1898 a novella titled "La Dentadura" in which a woman is rejected by her lover for having crooked teeth, so she goes to a dentist and has all her teeth removed and replaced by fake ones. The text goes to great lengths to describe how the procedure was done (no anesthesia, all teeth removed over several days), and the character is described to be working class, so when I read it it struck me as a common enough form of surgery that the author knew so much about it and presented it as an option for someone within a lower income bracket. SPOILER: at the end of the story, the woman tries to get her lover back, but he rejects her again when he notices her shiny new teeth because only vain women would choose to have cosmetic surgery. The moral of the story is "f*ck men", I think.

[@ava8340]

that’s so fascinating thank u for sharing this! also fuck men

[@pearlhartney9]

Hahaha!😆 That is definitely the moral!

[@caribbeantigress]

no… The moral of the story would be something like this: “Learn to love yourself before loving someone else, and when a man isn’t into you, don’t change, another man will accept you, for who you are…”

[@DiamondsRexpensive]

Phuck men and what they think about you through their hoらny brain, is indeed the moral of this story.

[@EA_Kar]

He's Just Not That Into You also comes to mind

[@fudgyvmp3961]

On a small historical sidenote, while anesthesia as we know it comes out of western medicine, Hanaoka Seishū, a Japanese surgeon is considered to have come up with an anesthesia a few years earlier than the more mainstream western doctors (he was trained by the Dutch and so practiced a fusion or eastern and western medicine). Based on the herbs he used, we can reasonably guess his anesthesia was scopolamine (a sedative) from nightshades and Aconitine ( a numbing agent) from wolfsbane. We still use scopolamine. But Aconitine is considered way too difficult to dose compared to better options. There's a reason in mythology one little flower of it can take down a hulking werewolf, it's super deadly if you get the dose wrong.

[@alisonbrandon9059]

Thanks for sharing this. I’ve learned so much in the last half hour 😊

[@lbatemon1158]

Fascinating! Thank you for sharing this!

[@LisEibh]

Love this so naturally I googled Hanaoka and found that his first major surgery was a partial mastectomy for breast cancer in 1804. He went on to perform many operations incl over 150 mastectomies, resection of tumours, bladder stone extractions and extremities amputations using his anaesthesia, 'tsūsensan' derived from several different plants, ground up into a paste and diluted to make a sedative drink. I also learned he was inspired by a 2nd century surgeon called Hua Tuo who had reportedly also used a sedative drink to successfully perform surgery (excl major surgery). Sadly, his compound ingredients were lost to flames as Huo Tuo burned his journals shortly before his death apparently. This is all from a quick Wikipedia skim so, feel free to correct me, I know nothing on this subject 😂

[@brutallicabg]

Just the comment I was looking for! Years ago I read a historical novel about Hanaoka Seishū (The Doctor's Wife by Sawako Ariyoshi) and was really impressed by his achievements, but also really bummed out that they didn't reach the rest of the world because of Japan's isolation policy at the time.

[@sadiyasayed5530]

Also before Seishu an Arab physician from the 10th century used general inhalation for anaesthesia in surgeries. Drugs such as Hemlock, Mandrake, Henbane, Hyocyamus, Mandragora, Loiseuria, Opium Poppy, and Black Nightshade. Source: pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27840487/#:~:text=Results%3A%20Mohammad%20Ibn%2DZakaria%20Al,and%20(ii)%20compound%20drugs. Even further than that general anesthesia can be traced back to the ancient Sumerians, Babylonians, Assyrians, Egyptians, Indians, and Chinese. So interestingly, despite common thought, anesthesia was used in other civilisations before it reached the modern west. Western medicine developed its use :)

[@JanetCowan]

There is a FASCINATING book by Zara Stone called “Killer Looks: The Forgotten History of Plastic Surgery in Prisons”. A lot of surgical procedures were tested on prisoners - sometimes consensually, to give them confidence to live in the world without committing crimes, and sometimes, errrr, not so consensually. Highly recommend as a follow up to this excellent video!

[@sl33pw17h4ng3l5]

I definitely read "prisons" as "pigeons" and had to double back 😂

[@JanetCowan]

NOW I NEED A BOOK ABOUT THE HISTORY OF PLASTIC SURGERY IN PRISONS!!!! 😂

[@Kehy_ThisNameWasAlreadyTaken]

@@sl33pw17h4ng3l5 I need a book on the plastic surgery in pigeons!! (also had Hatoful Boyfriend flashbacks)

[@DawnDavidson]

Humans will always find someone to experiment on who can’t fight back. :(

[@missvioletnightchild2515]

Ooh that sounds very interesting! I just reserved it from my local library, so thanks for the recommendation.

[@MsYoungRacer]

OMG!! I think this may be the first time I’m seeing black women in like Victorian or Edwardian clothes!! I’m a black woman and I’ve always liked the style but I just……. Never really knew that people who looked like me ALSO wore those clothes 🤩🤩🤩 I’m like speechless omg! It was so cool to see!!! I audibly gasped when I saw the pictures come across! Like I know this isn’t the point of the video at all, but im so appreciative that you included those photos

[@jocelynecupcake]

I'm white and tbh I was happy to see the picture too, because I thought that everyone back then was racist but I guess they weren't. The picture of the black girl and the Asian girl dressed in the fancy Victorian dresses, guess not every person of color was poor back then. It's rare to see photos like that (also I'm not sure what era that was but those were clearly Victorian dresses, like that photo had to be at least 100 years old or older)

[@lenawalker9073]

The ladies of the Black Women's Clubs of the 1870s- early 1900s (some of which still operate today) dressed like this while uplifting their communities. Check out certain chapters in Hine and Thompson's book, A Shining Thread of Hope, for more info. Enjoy!

[@Chibihugs]

Now I am thinking about the cholorform trope used in media and wondering how many characters would have just unintentionally died. My goodness, this was a fascinating deep drive.

[@allamasadi7970]

That scene from Ace Ventura

[@AllTheHappySquirrels]

I had the same thought. Also, I seem to remember reading somewhere (o-chem textbook, maybe?) that ether was flammable, which was one of the reasons why its use in surgery was discontinued.

[@myladycasagrande863]

The chloroform trope isn't really accurate to the effects of the drug. It would take several minutes of breathing chloroform to render the subject unconscious, not the few seconds that it takes in books and movies.

[@peggedyourdad9560]

@@myladycasagrande863 I think it would actually be really funny to use this fact to turn the instant chloroform trope on its head. Imagine someone in a film/tv show/book/etc trying to use chloroform as it's shown in entertainment only to find out that it actually takes several minutes to work.

[@myladycasagrande863]

@@peggedyourdad9560 that would be hilarious! They'd end up struggling with the victim and anything could happen from there.

[@papercranes7230]

“In a society that profits from your insecurities, loving yourself is an act of revolution”- I have no idea

[@RTCPhotoWork]

And in a similar vein, "Pretty is not the rent you pay to live in this world."

[@MaxOakland]

100%. This is the future. We’ll be stuck in the past til we embrace this

[@Bozbaby103]

Caroline Caldwell is who you are looking for.

[@saritshull3909]

@@RTCPhotoWork Prettiness is not a rent you pay for occupying a space marked “female”.

[@isla.vuewall]

​@Bozbaby103 the badest b 🙏🏼❤️

[@jennbeammakes]

For transatlantic clarity, what you and Christine call elective surgery in the USA does not include much of the elective surgery category in the UK, which here includes any scheduled surgery that is not emergency or trauma, so that big abdominal cancer resection? On an elective list (you choose for it to be that day) The fixation of a broken leg? Trauma; ectopic pregnancy? Emergency. We don't really use the term scheduled although it makes a lot of sense. Also cocaine much more complicated to get hold of when I worked in ENT - first choice is now to combine a local like lidocaine with adrenaline for the combi action Christine describes. (She's being anaesthetic Christine, I can't say Sewstine, can I??)

[@jennarhodes2724]

I think it's more contextual semantics than geographical. I'm in the US and would consider both my spinal fusion and maxillofacial (as much for function as aesthetic) surgery to have been elective procedures

[@cafialena]

Not to mention for endoscopic nasal surgery, Oxymetazoline is a godsend for controlling bleeding; as well as the IV administration of tranexamic acid for head and neck, so although cocaine is useful it's certainly not indispensable

[@bloop1152]

The British also have a curious notion of Public, too. Public House? Private membership. Public School? Privately paid.

[@jennbeammakes]

@@bloop1152 maybe, but pretty much all our healthcare (with the exception of the purely aesthetic) is publicly funded ie free at the point of use, though it's worth noting that the NHS began in 1946, so at the time of this discussion topic, all these procedures would have been private healthcare. Public house is the long name for a pub though, not a members club, more like a bar (there are plenty of differences, but broadly speaking similar idea, serve alcohol, maybe snacks, not food until pretty recently and even now not universal)

[@jennbeammakes]

We also love a good medical ae- or oe- word.

[@kirstenpaff8946]

I took a class on the history of beauty way back in undergrad. I remember reading about the paraffin wax fillers and how they had the unfortunate habit of degrading over time, resulting in the injected area becoming smoochy. Also, yes, a lot of cosmetic procedures were used by people trying to "pass" or to avoid being associated with a discriminated against race or ethnic group, even if they themselves weren't from that group. Racism and anti-Semitism were major drivers of this. The motivation was less I want to look pretty, and more I want better job options and to not be mistreated by society. Given this context, it actually makes sense why people would undergo risky procedures. I do wonder if Edwardians had a similar attitude to surgery safety that we do now, i.e. it's so much safer now than it used to be. Their point of comparison was a drunk guy sawing off limbs, so even a rudimentary understanding of anesthesia and hygiene probably seemed safe within context.

[@InimeKai]

Trying to look more pretty is one very real way women try to not be mistreated by society though, unfortunately. So these things definitely go hand in hand. "Ethnic noses" are still considered conventionally ugly for women, sadly. Beauty standards are very racialized beyond what people want to own up to; those who fit them generally seem very okay with that this fact and don't speak against it which is definitely a part of the problem 🙄

[@karlaverbeck9413]

That explains why there were so many pictures of men in Bernadette 's video. They were trying to look like upper class persons of the dominant race; or what the dominant race thought they looked like.

[@dandelionwitch]

ah yes that unfortunately makes sense, and unfortunate that many cosmetic surgeries today are rooted in the same motivators. agree with you as well regarding attitudes to surgery- I would assume that at the time, contemporary surgical practices were seen as very modern and safe compared to older methods, much as we see ours today. We certainly still have a risk of harm/infection/etc with our current surgical practices, and I'm sure in the future what we know to be the best standards will be looked upon with some level of horror as well

[@clueless_cutie]

This makes perfect sense and is still present today with "tan line filters" where people fake having tan lines amongst everything else they fake. Because we still value fair skin predominantly (Western culture and Asian cultures - a lot more heavily), but the idea of tanning naturally has become a class signal. It says "I have the time and disposable income to sit around and tan on a fancy beach vacation in fancy clothes." The class disparities are not as heavily reliant on race or ethnicity as they used to (systemic racism is still an issue alongside other issues), but there is still a very clean expectation of what a wealthy person should look and behave like that lower incomes try to emulate. Hence all the people faking vacations or trips abroad on their social medias. So much of beauty standards are driven by trying to emulate the unachievable and the wealthy. Cheap high calorie foods and extensive work indoors has driven the crave for thinness and tan skin. Because only those with the time and money and resources to exercise, eat healthy, and go outside recreationally while wearing non working clothes can achieve such looks 'effortlessly' (farmers tan are never desirable but bikini straps and designed tan lines are since they're frivolous). Humans just love the things they can't have easily. It's programmed into our psyche. I wonder

[@mwater_moon2865]

Considering that one of Queen Victoria's daughters died after childbirth because her physicians didn't want to wash his hands (I believe it was Charles Meigs who said that requiring hand washing was an affront because "Doctor's are gentleman, and a gentleman’s hands are clean!") I'm sure that there were lots of folks ALIVE in the 1910s who remembered when giving birth in a hospital was the #1 cause of death among women and figured that now the doctors smelled clean (and not like the cadavers they performed autopsies on before heading to check on patients) it was so much better!

[@nicolakunz231]

I adore this rabbit hole. Bernadette & Dr Christine are an awesome duo. It's awesome to see Sewstine wearing her scrubs on YT. And am pleased but Unsurprised that Bernadette would reach out for professional knowledge.

[@Kehy_ThisNameWasAlreadyTaken]

I was almost hoping for a collab with more KZbin Dr's, but I'm sure not complaining.

[@CindyLooWhovian]

​@crystalclearwolf I hope at some point we get Dr Youn "reviewing" this to compare modern practices with the previous cosmetic procedures and discussing how it's changed.

[@tealele7985]

It is always delightful to see that the people in the past were still the same people as today. They still had beauty standards, people had insecurities, people still did absolutely crazy things to look "better". To anyone who is reading this, you will never be alone in your problems and you never have been!

[@Udontkno7]

yes! i get so tired of the general belief that only modern people would do plastic surgery and that back then it was more natural, or only changed in non permanent ways. when as long as people could do it, they were going to do it.

[@neondemon5137]

​@@Udontkno7Really? This is something you've given any amount of thought to? Plastic surgery 200 year ago? 😂

[@MaxOakland]

I think it would be great if we decide to be better than people of the past. It doesn’t give me comfort at all to think humans are eternally stuck in a mediocre purgatory of insecurity and bucket crab mentality

[@joshuagaither4866]

You know, I actually had a similar thought about tattoos during the period, you never hear about them but yet, you know they undoubtedly existed as people have been getting tattoos for thousands of years. If a person wants one, they're gonna get one, no matter what the larger part of the society around you thinks of them. 🤔

[@gildedgitta]

Not to mention how easy it was to hide tattoos back then!

[@Stephanie-uk8be]

also, surprisingly, nipple piercings! IIRC in the edwardian period everyone was getting them lol

[@firiel2366]

The History Chicks podcast has a fascinating episode on the tattooed ladies of the Victorian Era (and it's just a great podcast in general).

[@ateisate7270]

Empress Sisi had two afaik. She's the reason my grandma is halfway okay with nearly all her granddaugthers having tattoos. And she was the lady at the top of society.

[@vigilantcosmicpenguin8721]

This is the era when tattoos are primarily popular among sailors and prisoners. It's quite fascinating how it became a trend that spread to the folk in high society.

[@brvtalrainbows]

As a nurse who works in addiction medicine and harm reduction, the idea of using cocaine as an injected anesthetic has me screaming. It absolutely works as an anesthetic, but it also causes very significant vasoconstriction to the surrounding blood vessels. That means it's a lot harder for the area around the injection to get oxygen from the blood, and often leads to the tissue dying off and going necrotic. I tell patients all the time that it's safer to smoke or sniff their cocaine rather than inject it for that very reason.

[@anarchyneverdies3567]

Understandable that it would upset you in your line of work, but it sounds helpful when used locally during surgery rather than IV for funsies 😊 controlling bleeding during surgery in the 1800’s (and during nose surgeries today) sounds like a very good reason to inject it (risk v benefit, right?)

[@Saskatchetooner]

@@anarchyneverdies3567very true!

[@margodphd]

Actually sniffing it is quite dangerous as well as the tissue can necrose and some addicts have literal holes in their noses. Cocaine is also supremely cardiotoxic and toxic to liver especially when mixed with alcohol as it metabolises into cocaethylene. The dopamine storms after repeated use literally dry dopaminergic receptors. Stimulants are really really really dangerous and their effects on personality after long term abuse can be terrifying. Seen it in friends, patients... even in other healthcare workers.

[@MazHem]

@@anarchyneverdies3567 I'm guessing there's a big difference between frequent injection and one in a blue moon as well, like if I constantly cut into my own nose, that also wouldn't be a good idea, but if I needed a nose surgery even if it was once every 5 years or so, that wouldn't really be harmful.

[@vigilantcosmicpenguin8721]

Well, the nurse said it's safer... I'm gonna smoke all the cocaine I can get!

[@cafialena]

As an MD and future ENT with a special interest in head and neck plastics, this is an intersection of interests SO SPECIFICALLY TAILORED TO ME!!! As soon as cocaine was mentioned I was like yup we still use that in head and neck.... which Christine then proceeded to explain. The rhinoplasty techniques (nose job) outlined are also very similar to today's, and it's funny that you don't perceive ear surgery to be as common when it's still very common (though not as much as nose surgery), though like Christine said, people just don't talk about it that much. That being said, there is a very interesting combination of elective cosmetic and reconstructive surgery nowadays; we reconstruct ears that were underdeveloped (microtia), have odd cartilage twists, etc. and in children and adolescents this cosmetic outcome greatly improves quality of life

[@Kehy_ThisNameWasAlreadyTaken]

Yeah, I'm looking at having a surgery done for my sinuses sometime later this year- this was oddly comforting and interesting

[@jacobus57]

I have moderately protruding ears which do not bother me aesthetically, but which cause me serious pain when wearing a winter hat or if I don't sleep just the right way. This isn't considered "medical need," but I suffer, my sleep quality has been degraded all my life, and I wish I could find someone who understood this is not about vanity but actual pain.

[@genevieve6983]

I'm glad you added the part about the ears! I remember in the early 90s in Canada, several boys at my daycare, in my neighbourhood, and in my family got their ears pinned back to avoid bullying later in life. I don't mean 2 or 3 kids, I mean up to 10. When my brother was about to start elementary school, the paediatrician told my parents that they were running out of time for the surgery and should hurry up. They ultimately didn't go through with it and my brother never got bullied at school or had any issues with discomfort, but I have so many memories of my mother telling him to cover his ears with his hair, keep his hat on, etc. Thankfully he is fine today, has great self-esteem, and wears his hair short. I don't know where it came from, but plenty of my friends whose parents were born in the 40s and 50s also remember hearing them worry about everyone's ears!

[@peggedyourdad9560]

@@genevieve6983 Well, my mom who grew up during the 80s and 90s was bullied pretty bad for her ears when she was young (like elementary school) and still has issues about it. We're in the US so I wonder if it has to do with region; gender might also have an effect on the bullying as well since boys aren't generally held to as high of standards as girls.

[@genevieve6983]

@@peggedyourdad9560 Sorry to hear that, people will really find anything to bully others over... There's definitely a cultural element, I think, and a ripple effect. For us it was only boys, and people in other Canadian provinces are always pretty shocked when I tell them how common this was.

[@jillb1420]

Oh my goodness, I would never have imagined such goings-on happening. A supremely interesting rabbit hole to have fallen down.

[@MyleneRichard]

The injection of paraffin wax is mentioned in one of Asène Lupin books. A man commented that he had seen Lupin 20 times, but each times he looks different thanks self-administered injection of paraffin the thief did to change it's features. I read it a long time ago and I don't remember which of the 24 books it was, but they were published between 1905 and 1923, so if not Edwardian itself, published by an Edwardian author. But it shows what the general public of that era understood of the procedure.

[@TallulahFoxxx]

Interestingly though, the procedure was used in a nefarious plot, ie. it was being used by a thief to avoid being recognised. It’s sort of like how women wearing “too much” make up were the unscrupulous characters in novels and stories throughout history. Both the injections and make up references are subtly telling the reader (and society) that it is only criminals/undesirable people that change their appearance.

[@veggiezz]

I work with diethyl ether in a lab- it. Smells. HORRIFIC. It’s ten times worse than acetone (like nail polish remover) or hexane. Whenever anyone disposes of diethyl ether in our toxic waste bin you can smell it over everything else that’s been poured in there until the bin is screwed shut and we change it out for a new one 😂 It’s AWFUL

[@Kehy_ThisNameWasAlreadyTaken]

Seems like a built in safety feature lol. Harder to get addicted when it smells SO bad

[@abbypayne4496]

Low key though are there any “nasty” smelling things that you eventually like? I love doing my nails and I low key like the smell of acetone and monomer. Does that make sense?

[@Kehy_ThisNameWasAlreadyTaken]

@@abbypayne4496 personally I grew up in an area known for it's dairy. The smell of manure in the fields is actually pretty nostalgic for me, even when I do recognize it smells bad

[@abbypayne4496]

@@Kehy_ThisNameWasAlreadyTakenI love that! ❤

[@wildflower1397]

​@@Kehy_ThisNameWasAlreadyTakenSmell that derriere, lol 🐄

[@Jopes17]

I don't think this topic is out of place at all on your channel! In fact I think it's a very important topic to talk more about. Oftentimes our problems seem like we're the only ones who have been affected by them because we're so advanced, how could people 100 years ago have had the same problems? But being aware that these issues go so deep makes people think more about what they're doing and realize these are systemic issues.

[@majuuorthrus3340]

First things first, I love the Regal Guinea Pig portrait. Also I'm not surprised about Edwardian plastic surgery, Hirschfeld's Institut fur Sexualwissenschaft was offering vaginoplasty and similar procedures by the 30s, and the surgery practice was already well-established by then. They also offered facial feminisation and masculinasation surgery. Definitely not 'simple' plastic surgery like early skin grafts (which were mostly used to cover a wound rather than to create a specific look.)

[@wildflower1397]

I believe her artist sister paints the guinea portraits for her. She put up a video about it somewhere. Also, there is a much longer history of vaginal mutilation in some cultures. It's a very complex subject, with a lot that I can't mention here, not simply about appearance. There is often a very fine line between what is considered beauty and what is considered disfigurement. For that matter, circumcision also fallls into that catgory. Some parents do it for religious or false cleanliness ideals, and a few for actual health reasons. However many parents want to have their sons circumcised so they will be the same as their dads. For men who have spent their entire lives circumcised (especially ones who really like and enjoy their junk), it can be hard to imagine not doing it. Piercings, tattoos, neck stretching with rings, decorative scarring, and many more modifications have gone on over the centuries, much lost to history. It would be fascinating to learn more about it.

[@majuuorthrus3340]

@@wildflower1397 I'm sure you didn't mean anything by it, but please do not compare consensual gender affirming surgery such as vaginoplasty to non-consensual mutilation of any kind. They are absolutely not the same thing.

[@wildflower1397]

@@majuuorthrus3340 That is absolutely not what I meant at all! If trans people want to have elective surgery to help their body fit better with how they view themsrlves, then more power to them. While I am sad that restrictive gender norms increase their struggles, and wish they could be comfortable just as they are, I support their right to do with their body as they see fit. Just as some people overreact to youth having gender changing surgery because they believe parents and doctors are forcing them to, tribal mutilation has a lot of misunderstandings. Simply using the word mutilation influences how people feel about it. Some cultures in history did not see it the same way, and there are many subtleties involved. Some people think it's wrong to pierce a baby's ears, while others think it is normal and less cruel. Some horrendous assaults on people have been disguised as cultural, when they were just plain cruel. There are also things, such as branding slaves, that were seen as acceptable and practical, even though it is truly horrific. My point was simply that cultures all over the world have been doing crazy things to their bodies for thousands of years. There is a grey area between surgical and decoration or modification. It's a broad topic, even involving anthropology. I enjoyed this video and it's take on victorian face lifts, and it leaves me with a lot to think about. ❤️🌈

[@miaththered]

I'm not surprised, personally, as the oldest known cataract surgery is from India, in the bronze age. Corrective medicine and cosmetic medicine aren't so different. Surgery hasn't changed much over the centuries or millennia.

[@rinarose9544]

that is so cool!

[@uffle]

ah, paintbrush aids

[@wildflower1397]

There is definitely a mind-body connection that blurs the line between the two. How people perceive their bodies has a real impact on health and healing.

[@Bella-qu5pf]

I watched a movie on that quite intriguing!

[@mandyliz84]

I find the distinction between cosmetic and reconstructive surgery somewhat problematic as even today there is a continuum between purely cosmetic and purely reconstructive. As a teen, I had a jaw reconstruction that was reconstructive for a congenital issue, but it had only moderate results for things like correcting my bite, but had huge impact cosmetically. About 1/2 the surgery was for the medical purpose and the remainder was cosmetically done “while we’re in there.” I wonder how much this sort of gray area is at play with the little historical record we actually have.

[@JustanotheranonEmess]

All I can think about is people hoping for a deviated septum so they can get insurance to cover a nose job.

[@mwater_moon2865]

Or situations like when my son was 13 months old and he COULD have gone to pediatric blood vessel surgeon for a bleeding problem he had on his lower eye lid, but we would have had to wait for over 4 months while he became MORE anemic and had major damage to his developing sight from not being able to open his eye properly, but instead we went to the plastic surgeon who's main practice was cosmetic, since he was totally able to schedule us in less than a week later to excise it just like he would a mole and leave next to no scaring. Honestly, I'd rather he practice on some 50 y.o. who wants to clear up under eye bags than act like there's a moral difference.

[@smokysummer6436]

I was thinking about this with gender affirming procedures, I just had top surgery and well it tremendously helps my mental health but also it's more cosmetic than "reconstructive" as my body wasnt a deformity before. Hard separations and absolutes don't exist in reality i guess

[@sweetnsalty6175]

“sentient meatbags just doing our best to make our meatbags slightly nicer to live in for as long as we’re here” is a sentiment to live by ❤

[@MaxOakland]

Most of these surgeries would make your body less enjoyable to live in. It’s sad how much we’ll sacrifice due to desire to change our appearance

[@sweetnsalty6175]

@@MaxOakland yes, but in my comment i was not saying that the surgeries were necessarily a “good thing”, but whatever we can do in this life to make us happier and more comfortable in our bodies is worth doing (exercise, makeup, sleep routine, skincare, whatever makes you happy) :)

[@Trassel242]

One thing I remember is that red hair and freckles were seen as ugly and undesirable in the past (I read it as a child in Victorian-setting books), but I’ve always found those traits beautiful and charming. One thing I still find quite interesting is this whole thing about the ideal in Victorian days being to look pale, since that meant you were rich enough to be able to avoid physical labour outside where you’d get a bit of a suntan. Then, once factory workers and urbanisation created a new class of pale poor people, the ideal became to be tanned since it showed you could afford a vacation to some sunny place. While at the same time, being rich in melanin naturally was of course still bad because the people setting the standards were still rich white people. I think anyone can be beautiful no matter what they look like, and that it’s absurd to insist on only one set of traits to be “beautiful”.

[@CorwinFound]

I really am not a fan of the word "beautiful". Especially when applied to human appearance. I far prefer interesting, eye-catching, unique, striking. When we think of "beautiful" people in our society it's very often the "unbeautiful" aspects that make them stand out. A large gap between their front teeth, a large nose, intense freckles etc etc.

[@karlaverbeck9413]

My friends sister was so teased about her freckles she tried to deeply tan herself so they "would all blend together ". Unfortunately, due to her lovely red hair, all she did was burn. That led of course to removal of plenty of possible skin cancer spots. Humans surely torment themselves rather than be happy as is!

[@karlaverbeck9413]

The first Miss America with freckles was a huge deal. Likely left over prejudice against the migration of many Irish during the potato famine. Irish equals lower class, so no red hair or freckles on "proper" people.

[@geministargazer9830]

Yeah, if by past you mean the 90s and 00s. I have red hair and freckles and have been called a lot of names. I always hated my freckles.

[@DawnDavidson]

Born in the early 60’s here, and when I was a kid I definitely heard that I wasn’t supposed to have freckles. Beauty tips included lightening them with lemon juice. And of course I never actually tan, which was popular at the time (still is, but at least we have SOME understanding of cumulative skin damage leading to skin cancer.) I was told I was too short, too plump, too freckled, too hairy, I had thighs that touched when they shouldn’t, my arms were too big, my butt was too big, and I didn’t have enough body in my head hair. Of these, the only one I really think about much these days is the “too hairy” because the hairs have migrated to my chin and they bug the sh*t out of me aesthetically and physically! There are WAY too many ways that we body shame each other. It’s awful.

[@sarahr8311]

You describing the differences between modern and Victorian beauty standards helped me realize why I've often thought I look more "right" in historical(ish) fashions. My face shape (rounder cheeks, less defined bone structure) looks more like a Victorian portrait than it does a modern influncer. So the historical, especially Victorian, clothing "matches" my face shape in a way more modern stuff doesn't.

[@TallulahFoxxx]

If I were to go back in a Time Machine, I wouldn’t last long lol. I’m Scottish and have red hair and green eyes - both “signs of the devil” in the medieval era so I would be hanged as a witch lol. If I made it to the Victorian era, my appearance is actually quite acceptable (though I have angular bone structure, I’m very fair skinned but with a neutral undertone, light green eyes and I’m curvy/pear shaped). The issue is I have Pernicious Anaemia - an inherited autoimmune condition that was fatal until the 1920s haha. I’d have been dead by age 16 😩😂

[@Tatiana_Palii]

On the topic of cosmetic surgery history, I was really surprised, when I was looking through some 1980's Soviet magazines, and they were like "if your skin is sagging, consider a facelift". I used to think that those things were considered too frivolous for a proper Soviet woman, but actually those procedures were available and a few of the famous Soviet actresses had some pretty serious work done (mainly nose jobs and facelifts).

[@wildflower1397]

I suspect some of that is the remnants of racism and antisemitism. After all, many believed in white supremacy, which at the core is partly about physical appearance. Being white, and the "right kind of white" was still considered a marker of class. Even after the war and the fall of the Nazis, it took more than a generation before most people let go of a lot of their ideals and brainwashing propaganda. The idea of a pure, beautiful woman was stil very much accepted, and surgery was able to make it appear as though they were born that way.

[@annasolovyeva1013]

In big cities - yes. Not the part of the life of your average Soviet woman though. The Soviet Union at certain point had generally lower standard of what's "appropriate". They definitely didn't shy at using science or medicine. Their beauty standard was much more earthy and healthy then with the west generally, so even most actresses preferred to look somewhat natural. Unlike the western model look, it was obtainable for most soviet women with a somewhat healthy lifestyle. Allthough uf you had ears sticking out or a large crooked nose and lived in a big city - you could get it fixed though. There was no "rich girl face" or "Korean beauty" like industry standard. There's a popular Soviet short story about a soldier undergoing reconstructive plastic surgery in 1940s after severe burns and visiting his family unrecognised. We even read that at school.

[@Tatiana_Palii]

@@annasolovyeva1013 I totally agree, it really depends on the area and the time period, and certainly it wasn’t nearly as widespread as nowadays

[@annasolovyeva1013]

Consider that in the 80s certain groups in higher soviet society and also some of the doctors would address aging as the like of a disease putting various anti-age procedures into category of normal medicine. Also consider that Russians have tiny jaws and a bulk of facial fat, that thickens when women gain weight after losing fertility (popular pattern here) and goes down with aging in a very ugly fashion (check for our older politicians and celebrities). Facelifts are quite popular here. An average Russian doesn't have room for wisdom teeth to grow properly either, so as they grow up, they need a surgeon to remove them. Maybe they would need something else to be done later in their lives? Medical professionals would be seen as a great authority in the SU generally.

[@annasolovyeva1013]

@@Tatiana_Palii you and the western public generally seem to completely misundestand the Russian (and Soviet) higher lower class all the way upwards traditional mentality with physiological things. Russians generally have this "mind your business and don't bring the rubbish out of the house (our ancestors would burn it in stoves instead)" and a superstitious belief in bad eye (too much public attention to anything intimate means bad luck). Also, our ancestors had a punishment of public shaming that left Russians with a fear of doing or showing anything even slightly shameful and intimate in public. A popular nightmare amongst Russian women is to forget to put on her skirt and come to a public place. Let me explain it on toilet topics. It's totally appropriate for a Russian/soviet person to go to toilet. We wouldn't yell about it in public though. Instead, it's polite to ask about that in terms such as "Sorry, please, where can I wash my hands?"(when in e.g. a restaurant) "where is the restroom?" (Russian equivalent - уборная) "Sorry, may I go out?" (at class) It would be very inappropriate and shocking to us to see a poop-themed cafe (like in Asia) or see a toilet pride parade with yellow, brown and white flags and poop plushies. Or to post your unmentionables online or show them to your friends. Got the idea? The main Soviet plastic surgery clinic is not called a plastic surgery clinic - it's "the Institute of Beauty". Understand? They would also keep patients in the hospital until they completely recover, they don't need strong painkillers or a lot of bamdages. The doctors feel responsible for the health of their patients and also strong drug painkillers in Russia/ the SU are legal to be issued at hospitals only, under strict medical control. Another result of this thing with plastic surgery - no one should tell by the face after everything healed that it even happened. Noticeable plastic surgery would be considered done incorrectly. It wasn't inexistent either. E.g. A person my grandmother knew had otoplasty for his protruding ears for example. Same with s@x, s@xuality, childbirth, very little babies, and basically anything that goes beyond PG-13.

[@Agamemnon2]

This video finds me at a good time, since I just finished rereading my master's thesis from 10 years ago (on Sherlock Holmes and foreigner stereotypes therein) and was reminded of all the myriad ways the Victorians in particular were keen to categorize criminal deviancy in facial features. Up to and including claiming criminals had a higher tendency towards prehensile toes.

[@sl33pw17h4ng3l5]

.... I'm sorry, what...??? How... Okay. Right. Wth.

[@tuyetsoi4672]

Is there any chance i can read your thesis anytime? I took an undergrad class on victorian crimes and greatly enjoyed it. Also learned a lil about this phrenology (?)

[@lauraschiltz8074]

Your thesis sounds fascinating.

[@michellebyrom6551]

I vaguely recall learning that some late Victorian decided to compile every available photograph of convicts in order to discover dominant physical characteristics. They were surprised when the resulting face looked like a kindly old gentleman.

[@wildflower1397]

Prehensile toes? Oh wow, I totally want them! At my age, it would be awesome to pick things up off the ground without having to bend all the way over. Plus just imagine the naughty friskiness one could get up to! I have never considered cosmetic surgery for my wrinkles, but I would sign up for prehensile toes in a heartbeat. Wait... I think this may be the very moment when I literally became a crazy old lady. 😂

[@pippaseaspirit4415]

My sister had her ears “pinned back “ as a teenager in the 1970s( I suspect this operation is performed much more often than we might think, and was possibly one of the more-wanted procedures even before antibiotics.

[@dawsie]

My first surgery they used chloroform, I remember someone sticking a needle in my hand just before I went out cold, I had my appendix, well what was left of it removed after it ruptured, the surgery lasted for hours but unknown to the doctors I have a heart condition plus I’m asthmatic. I now understand why I was in hospital for such a long time after surgery. The surgery was done back in 1974, I remember it was almost summer which means I just had my 11th birthday but when I finally left hospital school was out for the summer holidays which meant I spent Easter in hospital WOW I had forgotten all of that🙀i was so ill for such a long time after the surgery I never notice the time slipping past at all. This is the first time I have actually stopped and thought through that time of my life, no wonder me Mom was by my side when I woke up each day. As a child your never told what’s going on, I had to ask me Dad about this he laughed because I only just worked out a huge chunk of my life had vanished and I never even noticed. He confirmed I had a bad reaction to the chloroform because they had to use a lot during the surgery which impacted my breathing. WOW the things we learn, never knew they were performing that kind of surgery even back then, I never understood why people could not be happy as they are, to think they were doing that type of surgery over 140 years ago is mind boggling.

[@ginkgobilobatree]

Interesting. I had a tonsillectomy in 1955 (what a scam) and I remember they used ether and warned me it would smell like a skunk, so I guess it would be doctor to doctor, hospital to hospital, surgery to surgery what was used.

[@wildflower1397]

I took an intensive course in college, getting all my foreign language credits at once, by learning to speak French in one summer term. The week before finals, I had surgery to remove an ovary. Luckily, I was fluent enough that my professor let me test out of having to do finals. This turned out to be a very good thing, because the anesthesia wiped my memory of most of the preceeding month. To this day I still cannot understand any French. 😂

[@KrisJustus]

Sewstine is SUCH a good educator! I hope she's a teaching doctor!

[@tracybartels7535]

She's just wonderful. Of course I had to watch this because of the topic and Bernadette, but the second it started, I was overjoyed to see Sewstine!

[@bazilboyle8240]

I totally forgot she’s a dr outside of the internet!!! This is a great colab between great teachers!!!

[@liara3248]

This is such a fascinating topic, but I also have to mention that the shot setup of Bernadette at the table before the fireplace, surrounded by gilded frames and books, wearing the pinstripe vest, is so excellent I'm obsessed.

[@wildflower1397]

I agree! She could discuss any subject in her victorian girl-boss vest with those curls, and I would be there for it. :)

[@juliahamilton8811]

“The Facemaker” by Lindsey Fitzharris is a book I’d highly recommend on the rapid development of reconstructive surgery during WWI! It touches on cosmetic surgery toward the end of the book, but focuses a lot on how cosmetic and reconstructive surgery is a product of art and science collaborating. Fitzharris also does an excellent job in her writing to tell the stories of reconstructive surgery patients respectfully by working alongside modern day consultants with facial deformities themselves. One of the best books I’ve read this year!

[@lindseyrea9237]

Dr John Snow was quite the pioneer. My niece is an Anesthetist and I am a Town Planner. I was interested to find out that her Dr John Snow - as mentioned here, was also my Dr John Snow who took the handle off the Broad St pump and demonstrated the existence of water borne disease. This lead to the reclaiming of what the Romans had known about the importance of fresh water supply, and sanitation in urban environments.

[@jcarnag]

Highly recommend The Facemaker by Lindsey Fitzharris if you want a narrative medical history on the inception of modern plastic surgery. :)

[@AlexHider]

And her own The Butchering Art is a great book about Lister and pre-anesthesia surgeries

[@aliceg5327]

My first instinct, when it came to opposing the 'look as thin as you can (but with the bouncy chest and butt because that's normal human morphology)' of today to the search of a rounded 'wealthy' face of then, was to think "well, there are definitely some things that will always be considered 'not desirable', even if fashions change". I was thinking of line lines, specifically, because while "being wiser" is cool, "growing older" has never been fashionable in the aesthetics sense (i think?). But then I remembered the "tired" beauty trends and the cosmetics procedures to make one's eyes purposeflly puffy and give it a shadow and a hollow. Which, with all the marketing around looking "younger" and "brighter" and "more awake", really took me by surprised, I have to say.... So. Who knows? Maybe someday there will be teenagers targetted by "GET YOUR SMILE LINES EARLY" ad campaigns.

[@Udontkno7]

it's already here in a way, with the buccal fat removal trend. it's definitely about looking more mature.

[@Asri_]

There's a trend to dye hair gray now.

[@HosCreates]

​​@@Asri_he gray hair trend is nothing new I remember when people were dying their hair gray on purpose after bleaching the crap out of it in 2010-11

[@tiffanybledsoe4591]

As a teenager I loved Clint Eastwood's laugh lines. If I could have signed up for a surgery to give me them, I just might have. I've always had a round, emotionless face, so his laugh lines just fascinate me, especially from his The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly and Dirty Harry days.

[@cupoladoro]

I recently read a book about Harold Gillies who was one of the surgeons doing a lot of reconstructive facial surgeries on soldiers during and after WW1 and what was interesting about him to me is that he often blurred the line between purely reconstructive and purely cosmetic plastic surgery, he gave soldiers the choice to choose their own facial features when performing his reconstructive surgeries unlike some of his peers who would only reconstruct what was there before and then after the war would do some purely cosmetic surgeries in his practice. It definitely made me consider the grey area between the two in a way I hadn't before. Edit: If interested this book is "The Facemaker" by Lindsey Fitzharris

[@justilou1]

OMG… my midlife crisis is to study nursing. I never thought I’d find anything relevant to current assignments on your channel! (THANK YOU SO MUCH!!!)

[@BewareTheLilyOfTheValley]

Kind of brings a tear to my eye that I think you're the only one whom I've seen show non-white women when speaking historically. The lack of taking the time to research is my fault, but I have always wondered what we black people have looked like during, say, the 20's or 30's without the sterotypes of being a nanny/maid, or being in absolute poverty (and we're not even going to get into the portrayed image by the media 😒). It's genuinely refreshing to know not all of us were stuck in those categories. Some of us somehow, despite the incredible odds against us, managed to eek out a better life. I'm very happy to see that. My grandmother, who is in her 80's, told me her mother or grandmother had a hair salon. That too made me really happy and it seems at least one side of my family was doing alright.

[@lenabreijer1311]

Abby Cox and several other costumers do it too.

[@toomanyopinions8353]

There are lots of people on KZbin with just as big of followings as this channel who do as well!

[@jocelynecupcake]

Yeah I was surprised to see the picture of the Black girl and the Asian girl dressed in fancy Victorian clothes from U.S or England. I guess not everyone was racist back then? or maybe there were a few people of color who were lucky to not be discriminated against?

[@lenabreijer1311]

@@jocelynecupcake it all comes down to money and power.

[@BewareTheLilyOfTheValley]

@@jocelynecupcake Certainly some of both.

[@pamelamays4186]

Thank you for sharing photos of people of color from the Victorian and Edwardian eras.

[@Ms.Hammen]

Gladys Deacon (2nd wife of the 9th Duke of Marlborough) actually had a paraffin wax procedure done on her nose. So there's one specific person who had one of those procedures done!

[@maryeckel9682]

And it moved, made her sick, and made her look worse. Poor Gladys!

[@monikaweld5567]

That was so interesting and thought-provoking. Knowing what we do today in regards to sterilization and contaminants, todays society would never have risked surgery back then. But, back then, that was their cutting edge of advanced and stellar care. Very much as we flock to the newest technologies today. Really well done! Thank you

[@Elgarad]

The history of beauty standards and racism often go hand in hand. Everytime I hear/see something about euro-centric beauty standards, I am reminded of that quote by some guy in an 1895 French book about Japanese women being "the absolute negation of the greek beauty". Quoted from Jean Claude Carrière's "Dictionnaire de la bêtise" ("Dictionary of stupidity"). Great video as always!

[@yellowbags]

Wow, just... wow.

[@lenabreijer1311]

Yes even as a 100% Dutch, I missed all those European beauty standards. The shape of my face, lips and eyes were all wrong. In my late teens I decided to be exotic.

[@lace5131]

What’s up with men comparing and downplaying the beauty of different ethnicities of women? I’ve noticed all races of men do this too, it’s very weird. They’ve been doing this for thousands of years and still do it now

[@lityne5577]

ear procedures are surprisingly common today, but I think a lot of people don't class them with other forms of cosmetic surgery.

[@Eloraurora]

You're reminding me of the woman who had the first breast augmentation going along with it, not because she actually wanted a larger bust, but because the surgeons agreed to "pin her ears back" in addition.

[@karlaverbeck9413]

My neighbors sister had a small bit of skin..a "tag" hanging from her ear when she was born. Her doctor just wrapped a bit of string tightly around it until it basically dropped off. I wonder if that hurt less than cutting it off. I'm sure she would have been cruelly teased if it hadn't been removed. Clef pallets aren't repaired just to help with eating. (Sorry about the spelling. )

[@emmao6578]

@@MiyuuKiwi There's also the fact it happens so young while your face is probably still going through many changes so there's both a lot of time for people to get used to it and other natural changes that will stick in peoples minds more due to recency.

[@blortmeister]

Okay, let's get this out of the way: great video. I read a couple of histories of medicine and anaesthetics back when I was 12? 14? and I've been tangentially interested ever since, so this is right up my alley. That said, a few other things. Your makeup game is on point here. And the outfit? Killer. I've been obsessed with the brooch on the top button of a shirt/blouse since I saw Gary Numan do it on the cover of his LP Dance in 1981. Looks great on you! And the oil lamp to your left with a globe and chimney? Stunning! Such a perfect object. So to sum up: Set and setting? Elegant. Wardrobe and makeup? Excellent. Video itself: Highly informative and very engaging. Overall score? 100%!

[@helenmcclory5676]

In defence of Dr Simpson (who is known as one of the fathers of aenesthesiology here in scotland at least!) his 'delicate women' were actually that - pregnant women. He was trying to find an anaesthetic that 1. wasn't flammable like ether and 2. (I think) wouldn't cause heavily pregnant women discomfort. He specifically had birthing women's comfort and wellbeing in mind at a time when I'm pretty sure it wasn't the priority at all.

[@sandycencirulo]

Is anyone else amazed at the facelift @3:02?! It looks great and natural.

[@frostflower5555]

No.

[@katherinek8448]

As someone who’s been in the medical field for many a year,I find this fascinating! I am getting ready to use my Singer treadle, Daisy, for the first time today!!!!! I also am reading through your book! I’m in sewist heaven! ❤

[@laurenconrad1799]

I love hearing this Victorian doctor telling me to control my emotions. I have never been able to avoid having strong emotions my entire life and I’m not planning to start now. 😂

[@peggedyourdad9560]

Controlling your emotions does not mean getting rid of them, it just means not letting them overtake you or run your life.

[@karlaverbeck9413]

No, he meant not letting them show on your face. In a time when nearly all marriages where arranged, and the class system very rigid, I'm guessing it was "proper" not to show what you really thought about your spouse, boss, dance partner, "social betters". What isn't known doesn't have to be dealt with. Also known as diplomacy. In my experience, folk like yourself are discriminated against for that very reason. No report, no problem.

[@peggedyourdad9560]

@@karlaverbeck9413 It wasn't meant to be a deep statement on your actual emotions. It was saying to not move your face too much because a lot of face movement over time can cause wrinkles to form.

[@DiamondsRexpensive]

​@@karlaverbeck9413It is still proper in today's world not to show it. The only people who show it are youtubers and reality TV stars.

[@cl5470]

Meanwhile, in this time period, men would literally have meltdowns over slight insults and challenge other dudes to duels. Anger is an emotion, men. 😂

[@kristinamanion2236]

Loved this rabbit hole. I'm glad you followed it and shared the results.❤

[@Live4theblacknote]

I wish they had covered something like this history lesson in nursing school. It is truly fascinating! Thanks for a truly great video!

[@sheleavitt06]

The coca plant is also chewed on to help with elevation sickness. Something that is very helpful in the Andes Mountains🤓

[@Albinojackrussel]

So I was taught (in an English school) that chlorophorm was preferred over ether because ether can cause the patient to cough during surgery, which could cause damage due to the patient moving unexpectedly under the knife. I was also taught that in those early days there were quite a few young women who died from minor surgeries (ie mole removals), either due to poorly dosed chlorophorm, or to secondary infections due to the lack of antiseptics.

[@MossyMozart]

@Albinojackrussel - I had a tonsillectomy as a little child. For sedation, I was given ether. They clapped a mask over my nose and mouth and dripped the fluid onto it. It became gaseous and I immediately started having nightmare that I still vividly remember 60 years later. >_

[@Claire-f]

The entire video, especially the anesthetic portion of this video was SO interesting! Thank you for making this, loved it.

[@bloop1152]

There are a number of surgeries today which are barely changed from what was pioneered a century ago, and many an Egyptian mummy is shown to have remarkable surgical work done in life.

[@oonarhu4681]

Excellent! The mention of wax injections reminded me of Ngaio Marsh's mystery _Death and the Dancing Footman_, where a collection of natural adversaries are brought together by a particularly sadistic host for the standard English country house weekend. One of the pairs of characters is a woman whose wax injection facelift "slipped" with disastrous results -- confronted, of course, by the surgeon responsible. I think the story was set in the early part of the 20th century. It sounds as if Marsh's cautionary tale had some basis in contemporary practice.

[@chishionotenshi]

I'm surprised you didn't mention some of the earliest cosmetic surgeries for burn victims. Many of these victims were women who dropped oil lamps or dripped hot oil onto their wide hooped skirts, and with the airflow from beneath literally fanning the flames were often burned so badly their whole front was disfigured. These women usually did not leave their homes, and in extreme cases had lost the ability to blink, or close their mouths and eyes. Dr. Thomas Mutter was among the first to work with these women, and he pioneered what was called the "Mutter flap" technique to recreate a working face from healthy skin he most often found on their back. He also was an early adopter of the bedside manner we associate with good doctors. It was from these early surgeries that plastic surgery as a whole arose. You had to prove you could do something and have the patient survive before anyone could get artful with it.

[@jodydiewald]

Your content is truly a delight to behold, you have a unique quirkiness that is so organic and endearing. I greatly appreciate you sharing your constantly growing depth of knowledge with cyberspace for us to tap into. ...oh, and your love of old sewing paraphernalia❤❤❤ i learned on a singer treadle, bullet bobbins... my appreciation remains many faceted

[@artquest]

Is that the same John Snow who is famous for ending a cholera epidemic by, supposedly, removing the handle from the Broad Street Pump?

[@hellodolly7301]

Again, another beautifully made and well-researched video. You always create such visually appealing videos, your audio-mixing is top notch. Love this, keep it up

[@AmyBrueckman]

This is SO interesting! And thank you to Sewstine, I love watching people who are knowledgeable and passionate about the work that they do and you can tell that she really is.

[@sargamsharma9870]

One thing to add, recontructive surgery has been around for much more than a few hundred years! I thought by now that people would know about Sushruta , he was performing nose reconstructions in the 6th century BCE.

[@nightfall3605]

My family has the labial folds, commonly referred to as “Irish lines”. We do have Irish ancestry, and knowing the general English disdain for anything from Eire, I wonder if the plumping of that area was as much about not looking Irish as hiding aging signs. My own personal bias 🤷‍♀️

[@jirup]

When I read this, I thought what are people doing looking there? Then I realised you meant nasolabial folds. lol

[@DawnDavidson]

@@jirup😂😂😂

[@nightfall3605]

@@jirup Oh crap! 😂 I messed up, didn’t I?

[@emmao6578]

Not trying to discount your experience but I've never once heard them called that and the feature seems to be so extremely common in people from such a huge range of backgrounds that I find it hard to believe that would've been the reason.

[@AlexaFaie]

I mean there was a whole lot of stuff geared towards trying your best not to be Irish looking so for some, possibly. I mean its like how people get teased for being redheads when really that started as racism. As a kid I was absolutely terrified that people might think I had more Irish in me than I did (there is some on one side) simply because the news.... the car bombings, the kids getting killed... If you mentioned being Irish to any degree, suddenly you were expected to weigh in on whether you sided with the IRA or Sinn Féin or not. As a kid you just want to play you know...

[@Ater_Draco]

Feel free to take whatever diversions you wish, as the was truly fascinating. Thank you ❤

[@millicentimeter]

What an incredible video! I researched victorian standards for women in my literature studies at university and the topic is forever fascinating. Women had to fit such a small box to be societally accepted and they would be shunned for the smallest things. I imagine the pressures of looking a certain way were also very crushing when all your life you had to prove that you were pure and motherly. Thank you for taking the time to research this and make it into a video, this gave me a lot to think about. Would love to see more of this type of video from you!

[@Denuhm]

Just a little note, pinning back ears is done to this day in the UK, it's one of the few cosmetic procedures we actively do on kids that isn't strictly medical intervention of pre-existing congenital conditions (think cleft pallet or being tonguetied )

[@maryel5398]

Still done actively in the US too.

[@jacobus57]

My moderately protruding ears have caused me lifelong pain under winter hats and pressure from sleeping on my side. I don't care about the aesthetics --I care about the pain and as a child begged for surgery. The interference with sleep and extreme pain are not trivial.

[@Denuhm]

@@jacobus57 Did you get surgery?

[@Groovygrace365]

Yes! I had my ears pinned back almost 10 years ago. I’m so glad a did! I had never been bullied or had pain, but I had so many people tell me I looked like an elf. I definitely lost a little bit of feeling behind my ears, but who cares!? I’m super glad I had it done when I did!

[@shayrays]

Extremely common in Canada as well, also usually done before the age of 5 (if the parent chooses)

[@10pmixupuk65]

Another topic that I'm sure I would never have even considered but was absolutely fascinating. Bernadette, I applaud your excellent nose (sic) for research and perfect presentation.

[@stephaniecowans3646]

Imagine my excitement at seeing both Bernadette AND Sewstine (Christine) on the same video!!! I subscribe to both of their KZbin channels and whereas I know that Christine is an anesthesiologist, I really enjoyed hearing her expounding on her medical knowledge on this topic. Great video, B and C! 👏

[@KuK1910]

Two quick observations: First, Peruvians have a third use for cocoa plant. They use it to treat altitude sickness, and when you go from Lima at just over 100 ft above sea level to Cuzco at 11,152 (Over 2 miles high) you can just about bet on suffering from altitude sickness. The native remedy? Rest, lounge, loaf and just don't do anything - other than chewing cocoa leaves, which reduces the suffering until you get acclimated. Second, of all the qualities of Victorian and Edwardian physicians, modesty is not one of them. If they came up with a new surgical procedure, treatment or method, such as Wm Morton's Ether, they made darn sure you knew about it. Charles Miller, and his book, is a good example of this. The first abdominoplasty (tummy tuck) in the US, for instance, was done by Dr. Kelly of Baltimore in 1899. (Drs. Demars and Marx performed the first abdominoplasty in France, in 1890.) Interestingly, from what I read on it, (and I will happily stand correction on the matter) Dr. Kelly's procedure was related to a hysterectomy, and it seemed to have a therapeutic intent. But rib resection, which Dr. Millar and Ms. Banner touched briefly on, has no proud and beaming physician to claim it. The first rib resections seem also to have been therapeutic with regard to treating kidney/renal problems. In February of 1949, in the Journal of Urology, Volume 61, Number 2, Dr Frank Hughes makes reference to two sets of Urologists who appeared to be the first to make rib resections to treat a condition called Renal Fosse. Dr. Hughes mentions Drs. Lichtenberg & Pflaumer of Germany, and French Physicians Heitz & Boyer, as originally pioneering techniques to remove the 12th week. But I must be missing something in my searches, as I can't seem to bring them up and identify the year in which they first performed their procedures. That is interesting in and of itself and tends to support Ms. Banners contention that cosmetic rib resection most probably did not occur in "La Belle Epoche".

[@LisaBlauvelt]

Thank you for beautifully presenting this fascinating subject. In discussions about ether, it should be noted that another reason it was not an ideal anesthesia is that it highly flammable while chloroform is not.

[@aerolb]

Interesting little video! Also hello to sewstine! It can be surprising how old some cosmetic surgery procedures can be so it's a nice little peek at the Edwardian era procedures. Also sympathize with the rolling over something with a chair lol

[@bronxbearbud272]

Thank you for the "diversion". I probably speak for many of this channel's viewers when I assure you we trust your instincts and look forward to additional such diversions in the future, wherever they take us.

[@adedow1333]

"Oh no! I just ran over my pattern!" I've done this too. Far too often. I now have to make sure I pick up my sewing posthaste so my littles won't walk indescriminantly over it as they are want to do with literally everything else.

[@sofiaolivas9340]

I'm happy I just confirmed that, since my well rounded and chubby cheeks were being idolized back then, I do not belong to this time! 😊

[@leechowning2712]

Something we skip over nowdays is that the hollow skinny look that is popular now is very close to how people look with TB. So the chubby cheek and rounded face was "this girl is not going to drop dead".

[@laurenconrad1799]

I might not be your typical viewer since I don’t sew, but this is my favorite kind of video. I LOVED it. ❤

[@kittyjuneo2218]

This video was done so well, Bernadette! I always admire the research and production quality that goes into your videos. Also I was so distracted by your outfit today, which looks amazing on you and I want one to wear, that I didn't notice the portraits of your guinea pigs until 5 minutes in xD I like your background for filming.

[@katiegordon1614]

There's definitely the grey area between our American ideas of cosmetic versus reconstructive plastic surgeries. There's the elective eyelid lift that my mother had done that allows her to see, given that her eyelids are no longer obstructing her vision, along with similar eyelid releases (effectively snips at the edges of eyelids) that allow the eyelids to open more fully so that the eye has far more range of motion for sight. Both are considered elective & cosmetic by many, but would function effectively as reconstructive, like the hand surgeries that I had that allowed me to have full range of motion in two fingers of one of my hands by removing an obstruction at each joint. However the fact that the first two are on the face makes them less socially acceptable whereas I could have functioned with those obstructions, albeit in a more chronically painful way, unless those growths became much, much larger. Mastectomies and breast reconstructions also have plastic surgery taboos while making the humans' involved lives' MUCH easier for them and themselves--physical, emotional, mental, and social health wise, depending on the individual. It's a very grey, very socially invested space, plastic surgery in all it's iterations, and does not need the taboo that is placed upon it, to the detriment of those that receive it.

[@staceydiekman9716]

I really enjoyed this video…as a recovery room nurse for many years, early anesthesia is so interesting in contrast to what is given now…thank you Bernadette!

[@KycklingsoppaDeluxe]

I remember hearing a radio program on the edwardian beauty Gladys Deacon who had paraffin "fillers" and apparently got her face quite disfigured bc the paraffin sort of melted or just moved.

[@keneit]

I'm going to use this opportunity to thank you: Yesterday I did a crazy 14 hour embroiding project and your voice talking about sewing mixed with this calming music kept me company and motivated me. The embroiding is completed now!

[@azilbean]

As someone from Atlanta, GA, I was always taught the Crawford C. Long was the "father of anesthesia" and did that 1st neck surgery mentioned. Now, I need to look him up with fresh eyes.😮

[@penelopefp]

Can we just appreciate the amount of time and work that goes into research and turning what some see as boring old history into such quality content with an amazing amount of entertainment?! To Bernadette and her team I say, "Well done!"

[@pumpkinlightsfanservice9484]

When I was still a small child, think between 4 and 8, my parents seriously considered taking me in to have my ears pinned back, and this was not considered strange to family friends and doctors. My family is upper class, and it was considered awkward to have ears that stick out too much. I am only 25. My parents expected me to choose this procedure when I got older. I have these family and family friends all over the world. My doctor used to mention it. I live in the US. This still happens.

[@creepydoll2872]

I know quite a bit about Victorian/Edwardian era surgery and medical practices as its an interest of mine but I still learned a lot and new things. I love that you covered this topic! I look forward to more videos like this from you.

[@deniseg812]

I went to a vocational high school in the 60s, class of 1970. One of the offers for a career was, Beauty Culture. You graduated with a license to become a beautician .

[@katfleming9751]

Bernadette, you are 100% my happy place on the internet 💜 I love your videos and get excited everytime I see you've posted 😊 thank you

[@cadciel]

That was incredibly unexpected and interesting! Thank you. Had no idea plastic surgery went that far back.

[@flatfingertuning727]

My grandparent's Oxford English Dictionary which was I think typeset around 1920 contained a definition for "plastic surgery", but no entry for "plastic" as a noun. The latter must have been an oversight, since it defined Bakelite as a resin that was often "used as a plastic", but the term "plastic surgery" is based on the adjective referring to maleability than the noun for synthetic resins.

[@Linaknowsu2]

The queen is back and we all love her

[@gabbyraja]

I love that Bernadette placed non-white Victorian photos throughout the video, as though they were just as commonplace as the average photo of a white person from the period. I'll bet she had to really search to find them, and I very much appreciate the effort. ❤

[@peni1641]

Plastic surgery procedure was created and improved upon to give soliders whose face had been serioulsy damaged during duty. Like using forehead skin to build a new nose @3:05. This procedure is still used today.

[@carriesunshine5742]

When I was doing research for a book I was writing I searched 'earliest plastic surgery known'. I wanted to keep my book as authentic as I could. In 1460 A D. The first known medical text for plastic surgery produces is created. Physicians in ancient India were utilizing skin grate for reconstruction work as early as 800 B.C. treatments for the plastic repair of a broken nose was first mentioned in 1600B.C. Egyptian medical text called the Edwin Smith papyrus. Egyptians used honey to keep infection at bay. Needles to say I was surprised by my research and felt I could easily use reconstruction surgery in my book which is a post civil war era

[@camusleon460]

very interesting, and i cannot stress how much i appreciate the lack of judgement in regard to people who get surgical modifications then and now.

[@Danae0619]

When you talked about ear surgery, I had to laugh. My great grandmother apparently looked at all of us VERY closely. She told my mom that if our ears didn't lay flat, she would have told her to tape them back. I thought it was just my Nana! Now, here's the even funnier thing... I'm always noticing people's ears. Ahhh... What we learn from our ancestors!

[@andromedaspark2241]

Both my Aunt and Mother had ear surgeries for minor "defects" as infants in the 1950s. They had several small points and their ears folded over at the top. "Fixing" ears really still remained a focus.

[@anirac6121]

Dear Bernadette, to begin with I'd like to express my fandom of your videos. They are so well-researched, aestheticly pleasing and just calm me whenever I need to feed my sometimes overly active brain calming and at the same time interesting content. I am usually a silent viewer, however I felt the need to express how much I apprechiate this specific video. Its message is so important. I feel, every student in every class room should see this. Back in school I considered history lessons uninteresting sometimes. Anyhow, I would have found this content highly relatable and helpful for better perspective. Thank you greatly for your hard work. Best whishes from Germany.

[@nevreiha]

electrolysis is still a time consuming process of needles at each hair follicle today

[@Kaelynn-ou8fu]

18:46 This reminds me of how I saw a straw marketed because you strained less to sip from it therefore preventing lines from exerting your face...people are crazy

[@balaclavabob001]

The more videos of yours I watch the more I'm convinced you're the next regeneration of Missy and that's not a bad thing . :)

[@sl33pw17h4ng3l5]

Right!? A Mistress to Walk the Path as I Follow in Her Wake.

[@d14551]

Thank you for this very interesting video and for how you continue to feature a wide diversity of people in the images you select.

[@Athlynne]

I've read that chloroform also causes terrible nausea. Nuts that it was preferred over ether.

[@achliscantplay4202]

Bernadette, a little off-topic squeeze before I continue watching - your whole look in commentary segments is absolutely stunning! It suddenly hit me, why there was a beauty standard that demanded a woman's eyes be black (and the use of belladonna) - as a blue-eyed ginger, I would never be able to rock that makeup you have, and it looks absolutely organic and becoming to you! So pretty 😍 If by some magic you see this comment, please do let me know at least what the foundation and lipstic are, thanks so much :) (Pressing ▶️ again)

[@Siansonea]

I personally like aquiline and upturned noses, and even the 'bulbous' ones at time. It's all about how the nose relates to the rest of the face. Oftentimes a distinctive nose is really the cornerstone of beauty, I'm thinking how Jennifer Grey changed her nose and became pretty much anonymous looking and could no longer find work as an actress. Meryl Streep and Barbra Streisand certainly don't have generic noses, and are among the most celebrated faces of their time. So if you have a non-generic nose (and I do myself) then celebrate it, and think twice about making it more generic to adhere to whatever beauty standards we're currently weathering.

[@HeidiVieceli]

While I agree with you on your main points, I must speak out a bit on Jennifer Grey, as your comment makes it seem as though she changed her nose intentionally, which was not the case. She had two nose jobs, the first was a necessary one because of a deviated septum, the second because she realized there was white cartilage coming out of the tip of her nose that must be taken care of. She told both doctors that she wanted to keep the shape of her nose, she wanted to remain natural, but the second surgery didn't go as she had wanted and she's had to live with the result ever since.

[@spamtownhamilton6200]

Oh I agree. I find large and distinctive noses really attractive and sculptural. Makes people look like timeless marble busts to me ❤

[@frostflower5555]

I personally like Streep's nose.

[@tphstables]

Thank you❣️ Despite coming from a long line of surgeons, and having a medical-based education myself, I learned a lot, Thanks to your lecture! Outstanding and very informative ‼️✨👏😊