University of Vermont ScholarWorks @ UVM UVM Honors College Senior Theses Undergraduate Theses 2020 The Guinea Pig Club: Social Support and Developments in Medical Practice Camille J. Walton UVM Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.uvm.edu/hcoltheses Recommended Citation Walton, Camille J., "The Guinea Pig Club: Social Support and Developments in Medical Practice" (2020). UVM Honors College Senior Theses. 370. https://scholarworks.uvm.edu/hcoltheses/370 This Honors College Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by the Undergraduate Theses at ScholarWorks @ UVM. It has been accepted for inclusion in UVM Honors College Senior Theses by an authorized administrator of ScholarWorks @ UVM. For more information, please contact
[email protected]. The Guinea Pig Club: Social Support and Developments in Medical Practice Camille Walton Advised by Steven Zdatny, Ph.D. Honors Thesis in History University of Vermont Spring, 2020 Walton 1 Introduction The Guinea Pig Club was a self-named group of burned Allied airmen in World War II who underwent serial operations to regain their appearance and identity at Queen Victoria Hospital in East Grinstead, Sussex, England. There they were treated on Ward Three, also known as the Sty, by Dr.1 Archibald McIndoe, a pioneering plastic surgeon from New Zealand, who both advanced accepted methods and developed novel techniques of his own to address their wounds and rebuild their lives. The support networks McIndoe’s patients established during the war persisted for decades and transformed tragedy into resilience and grief into camaraderie. One such network was the Guinea Pig Club. One Sunday morning in July 1941, a group of hungover young men convalescing at Queen Victoria hospital decided to form a “grogging club” which was to become renowned for its support and community.