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Secret WW2 Club That Healed Burnt Pilots and Transformed the Face of Plastic Surgery

By Kanika Gupta | Update Date: Nov 23, 2015 09:21 AM EST

One of the most exclusive clubs of Great Britain is called the Guinea Pig Club and to be its member, it is mandatory for the members to have undergone at least two reconstructive surgeries at the Queen Victoria Cottage Hospital in East Grinstead located in UK and that too by the pioneering surgeon, Archibald McIndoe. As the 2nd World War came to end, there were about 649 members in this club that were mostly British but also from Australia, Canada, Czech Republic and New Zealand, as reported by Gizmodo.

During WWII, severe burns were caused due to flying dangerous planes and highly flammable fuel spills that caused the injuries. The healthy young men faced disfiguring burns on their bodies as a result. McIndoe, a New Zealand native, pioneered a technique that is used to this date that can treat severe burns. However, he also realized that to treat the trauma outside, you need to treat the one going on inside. Thus the club Guinea Pig, was formed. The attitude of the doctors and the nurses of the club were the most remarkable thing about the club. They didn't treat them any differently and created an atmosphere of joy and cheerfulness at the hospital, reports Gizmodo.

The lonely victims of the burns often joked and flirted with the nurses that doctor McIndoe overlooked. The members of the club have a dark sense of humor. They purposely chose a pilot with badly burnt legs so that he couldn't run away with the club money! The members of the club were all young with no hope to live with their disfigured bodies. McIndoe took them in and make their lives livable through this club. He also brought in showgirls from London to give them confidence that they can still talk to the pretty girls, shares Gizmodo.

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