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Updated: Jul 9, 2026

Severe Burn Injury in a Swine Model for Clinical Dressing Assessment
Published on: November 6, 2018
The Guinea Pig Club: Forces and factors that revolutionised burns plastic surgery
Ann Bates1, Stephen Wordsworth1
1University of Derby, College of Health, Psychology and Social Care Derby, UK.
Abstract:
The 'Guinea Pig Club' has been described as the most exclusive club in the world, but the entrance fee is something most men would care not to pay, and the conditions of membership are arduous in the extreme. The Guinea Pig Club was formed in July 1941 to support aircrew who were undergoing reconstructive plastic surgery after receiving burn injuries in the Second World War. This paper will explore the novel surgical techniques employed to treat the Guinea Pig Club members, their experiences at the hospital and their lives after the war and how Sir Archibald McIndoe and the Guinea Pig club members revolutionised burns plastic surgery as we know it today.

