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MUSAto four weeks in hospital, with two to threeweek breaks outside. 10Generally, acromiothoracic flaps wereutilized for deep unilateral burns, but incases where adequate free grafts could beproduced, patients were treated in thisway entirely. 8 During his tenure at QueenVictoria hospital, Tilley would replacecountless noses, reform a multitude of earsand eyelids, and re-establish facial featuresfor hundreds of men; all of this with theobjective of giving his patients the chanceto return to a normal state of existence. ButTilley’s operative virtuosity was not all heoffered his patients….A Scalpel, A Guinea Pig, And ATender Hand: Tilley’s ApproachTo The Patient RelationshipBy 1944, the Canadian wing at QueenVictoria Hospital opened, and Tilley waspromoted to the rank of Group Captain.In June of the same year, Tilley foundhimself standing in front of King GeorgeVI at Buckingham Palace with the Order ofthe British Empire being bestowed uponhim. 1 This prestigious award was fittingrecognition of Tilley’s success in Britain;along with the work of McIndoe and thehospital staff, they had become “the mostformidable and effective response to burninjuries, anywhere in the world.” 4The work at Queen Victoria hospital was sogroundbreaking that it brought one patientto remark in jest, “we’re nothing but abunch of damn guinea pigs!” Subsequently,the Guinea Pig Club was formed in 1941,by a group of airmen who had sufferedburn injuries in the war and were treatedat the Queen Victoria Hospital. Consistingof nearly 650 members of a dozen differentnationalities, the club was one of the firstsupport groups in medical history. 17 TheFigure 5. Tilley poses for a photo symbolizing thecare he gave to his real patients, the Guinea Pigs.camaraderie and sense of belonging fosteredby the club has been acknowledged bymany historians as instrumental in thetherapeutic success ultimately achievedat East Grinstead. 4 The Guinea Pig Clubhelped shield patients from suffering theirdisfigurement in isolation, and gave itsmembers the strength to venture out intothe world, and walk the streets wearing theirwounds as testaments of their sacrifice. Tilleyserved as president of the Canadian branchof the Guinea Pig Club, and continued tooperate on over two hundred of its membersfor the next forty years (Figure 5). 3Tilley dedicated a tremendous amount ofpersonal attention to the emotional andpsychological condition of his patients. Afteroperating all day and into the evening, Tilleywould rest briefly in his living quarters onlyto make his way back to the hospital at 23:00h to check how his patients were faringafter their surgeries. 4 In a medical landscapedominated by rampant paternalism,Tilley was a trailblazing pioneer of patientempowerment who went to great lengthsto educate his patients about every aspectof their care, every nuance of their surgeries,and the intricate details of what they couldexpect during recovery. 18 Where manysurgeons of the day saw their involvementin patient care beginning and ending in theoperating room, Tilley was a fierce proponentof the importance of a patient’s psychologicalwellbeing in their overall rehabilitation. In hiscare of the Guinea Pigs, Tilley transcendedthe customary duties of a physician and roseto become a shining light that illuminated acomprehensive path to recovery. 18For decades after the war, Guinea Pigsfrom across the world would come togetherfor an annual celebration where one oftheir toasts was always to the care theyreceived from Tilley. Out of gratitude forTilley’s commitment to them, the GuineaPig Club funded a bronze bust of theirbeloved physician, which was installed inthe Canadian wing of the Queen VictoriaHospital. The sculpture commemorates theman whose tender hand pulled them fromthe furnace, and allowed them to transcendwhat had once been thought of as a fateworse than death. 2No Sign Of Slowing Down:Tilley’s Life After The WarUpon his return from Britain in 1945, Tilleybecame a consulting physician at ChristieStreet Hospital and Toronto WellesleyHospital. For several years between 1949-1965, Tilley also spent three days everymonth in Kingston where he worked as astaff physician at the Hotel Dieu, KingstonGeneral, and Kingston Military Hospitals. 2As one of only ten other plastic surgeonspracticing in Canada after the war ended,Tilley was extremely busy laying theframework for the future of his specialty.His colleagues viewed Tilley as a physiciancapable of breaking new ground. In July of1942, he led the first all-Canadian plasticsurgery operation, and a few years later asan assistant professor at Queens University,he became the first to offer formal accreditedcourses in the specialty. 2 Tilley also inventedseveral surgical instruments, such as aningenious hand splint, and was the first to19, 20design the tube pedicle flap.Tilley was one of the twelve foundingfathers of the Canadian Society of PlasticSurgeons in 1947. At its second annualmeeting on June 2, 1948, the society’smembers empowered Tilley to draft a feeschedule for the operations performed mostcommonly by plastic surgeons. 20 Appointedvice-president in 1953, and then presidentin 1954, Tilley’s leadership of The CanadianSociety of Plastic Surgeons helped establishthe profession in Canada and paved the wayfor the exponential growth and prosperity itwould experience in subsequent years. 20As his specialty flourished across thecountry, Tilley continued to infuse hisdiscipline with respect and integrity ashe campaigned for years to develop burntreatment facilities in Ontario. In 1984, hisvision came to fruition and the Ross TilleyBurn Centre opened at Wellesley Hospital. 21Only three years after becoming the firstplastic surgeon to be appointed a memberof the Order of Canada, Tilley also assumedthe role of Founder and Director of the first19, 21adult burn centre in Canada.Even after retiring from practice at Wellesleyand Sunnybrook hospitals in 1981,Tilley continue to be recognized for hisoutstanding career. An elementary school inhis hometown of Bowmanville was namedin his honour, and he was inducted intoCanada’s Aviation Hall of Fame in 2006. 1,3After dedicating much of his 84 years of lifeto his patients, Albert Ross Tilley passedaway on April 19, 1988. 21CONCLUSIONThe distinguished and illustrious careerof Albert Ross Tilley exemplifies many ofthe qualities sought after by physicianstoday. As a surgeon, he is rememberedfor his meticulous technical skill, soundjudgment, and tireless work ethic. He wasa leader, innovator, and educator whoseefforts sculpted an immature specialty intoa refined profession. As a man, Tilley’s virtueand character stood beyond reproach, and34University of Alberta Health Sciences Journal • April 2012 • Volume 7 • Issue 1