The Healing Mission of Plastic Surgery

"Over three decades ago, I met a seemingly simple, quiet, unassuming individual. I quickly appreciated how prividliged I was to be in the presence of greatness. In Dr. Ernest Cronin's Healing Mission of Plastic Surgery, a skilled, compassionate, sagacious surgeon, sage, philosopher, and friend provides an honest glimpse into the life of a living legend."

- Plastic Surgeon Gary Branfman M. D., F.A.C.S.

"Enlightening, memorable, professional, this amazing book has it all. Do read this unusual personal story of the healing journey of a life spent as a plastic surgeon."

- Donna R. Fox, Ph.D., Speech Pathologist, Fellow ASLHA, and Professor Emeritus of the University of Houston

"Dr. Ernest Cronin is the nephew of one of the most famous plastic surgeons in history- Dr. Thomas Cronin. As such, Dr. Ernie trained with the best.... and is most certainly one of the best in his own right. The magic of this book is his very personal insight into the history of the specialty, his relationships with colleagues and mentors, and his expansive knowledge of all things surgical. Enjoy a deep dive into the secrets and nuances of a fascinating specialty- and a special world!"

- B. H. Surgeon

"It is a great honor and a pleasure for me to recommend this fascinating book highly. It chronologically summarizes Dr. Ernest Cronin's professional career in the field of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, witnessing and participating in signifigant advances in the specialty throughout four decades. Dr. Ernest Cronin is a generous humanitarian who has improved countless patient lives and mentored many plastic surgeons, including me."

- Alfonso Barrera M. D., F.C.A.S., Clinical Assistant Professor at Baylor College of Medicine, Author of Hair Transplantation  

"Dr. Cronin’s memoirs are a great look at the Renaissance that has happened within the bounds of surgical creativity and the search for better ways to improve the lives of many. Thanks for a fantastic review of your life."

- Paula M.

"Like a great conductor, Dr. Ernest Cronin masterfully orchestrated the sequence and tempo of every surgery. Every action served a purpose---he wasted no motion. His technical savvy, coupled with his kindness and compassion made him the best surgeon with whom I have ever worked."

- Henry Mentz M. D., F.A.C.S., Aesthetic Center for Plastic Surgery 

"One Word for this book - SENSATIONAL - a gem! - great experience, exellent surgical results, clear explanations, good artwork, and all presented in a simple conversational way. I feel as if every resident should read it. The book presents a huge experience in plastic surgery as a real 'healing mission.'"

- Thomas Biggs M. D., F.A.C.S Clinical Professor pf Plastic Surgery at Baylor College of Medicine, ICON of the American Association of Plastic Surgeons, Former President of the International Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery

"This is a great book on a surgeon’s life work illustrated with drawings and photos. Dr Ernest Cronin is a great plastic surgeon who consistently reevaluates his work and shows how he performs some of the complex surgeries encountered in his career. Check out the book and see for yourself."

- Pain M. D.

"Dr. Cronin is one of the finest Plastic Surgeons in the country."

- Marvin Zindler, KPRC TV Investigative Journalist, Houston March 1st, 2000.

"Dr. Ernest Cronin, a true legend in International Plastic Surgery, has graced our literature with ... his experiences, successes, and failures. A wonderful treatise ... beautifully illustrated!"

- Donald H. Parks BA, M. D., FRCS(C), F.A.C.S., Professor of Surgery, McGovern Medical School, University of Texas Health Science Center Houston, chief, Division of Plastic Surgery (Retired)

"5.0 out of 5 stars If you thought you knew what a plastic surgeon is ... A magnificent journey through the life of a humanitarian, a healer, and eventually a teacher. The Healing Mission of Plastic Surgery is remarkable combination of an autobiography and easy-to-read medical journal. From his earliest education, to his final board certification as a plastic surgeon, to the teachings of mentors and colleagues, Dr. Cronin takes the reader through the numerous steps of formal education that turned him from an enthusiastic high school student to a renowned plastic surgeon.Dr. Cronin’s purpose in writing this book is to explain not only what a plastic surgeon does, but perhaps more importantly, what a plastic surgeon is. Through detailed descriptions of some of the many surgeries he has performed, Dr. Cronin teaches his readers the complexity of his profession. Using candid descriptions of his mentors, we learn of the finest of those who have practiced plastic surgery. And gradually, the reader sees the type of men and women lured to this specialty. For, in the end, it is plastic surgery that picks the finest of skilled surgeons, not the surgeon who picks this noble craft. The Healing Mission of Plastic Surgery is the story of a deeply religious man, a devoted husband, a loving father and grandfather, and a brilliant plastic surgeon. It is the tale of one who brought healing and beauty into the lives of many."

- R. A. Houston

This is a GEM of a book

It’s right for the general public; it’s right for residents; it’s right for established plastic surgeons. Dr. Ernest Cronin gives surgeons his perspective of thirty-eight years of plastic surgery so they can compare their own practice and consider adapting some of his concepts, techniques, and approaches.

The long and complicated path a person must take to be a certified plastic surgeon is explained. The fact that, unlike other specialties, it is not “system-based” but is surgical innovation with the human body and all its parts, which defines our system.

The author gives us a clear explanation of the broad scope of plastic surgery in his repertoire of cases, which are beautifully photographed. The challenge presented in each case is described, and the solution shown as a result. The scope of these cases ranges “from the top of the head to the bottom of the feet and from infants to octogenarians.”

All of this is from his own very personal experiences, and he describes the joys and, yes, some disappointments in his own practice. This is an intimate look into his three- dozen peer-reviewed publications and many thousands of patients over thirty-eight years in practice.

All of this is done with the recognition of the fact that he was propelled and supported by his wife of fifty-one years, Kathleen, and his eight children, who were in constant awareness that his work, founded in his Catholic faith, was very strongly his effort to make people’s lives better.

 This book is a brilliant work of a highly skilled and experienced surgeon, an honorable and humble man trying to fulfill this Mission of Healing.

This book is a GEM.

Thomas Biggs M. D. Clinical Professor Plastic Surgery Baylor College of Medicine, ICON of the American Association of Plastic Surgeons, former President of the International Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery.

***

Dr. Ernest C. Cronin, a true legend in International Plastic Surgery, has graced our literature with The Healing Mission of Plastic Surgery, a compendium and chronology of his life, his experiences, successes and failures, philosophies and dedication to his craft of plastic surgery.

Woven through the fabric of this wonderful treatise are the threads of Dr. Cronin’s kindness and generosity, passion for his mission, conceptual brilliance, and surgical skills in the name of Plastic Surgery. This book highlights his professional artistry and unique innovation, particularly in the management of severe craniofacial deformities in children and adults, thousands of whom have benefitted from his personal mission as a Plastic Surgeon! The Healing Mission of Plastic Surgery is beautifully illustrated with Dr. Cronin’s photos and diagrams, many personally embellished for instructional purposes!

Among the chronicles featured in The Healing Mission of Plastic Surgery are Dr. Cronin’s interactions and relationships with renowned surgeons such as Dr. Paul Tessier, Dr. Thomas D. Cronin, and Dr. Tom Biggs and he provides a wonderful tribute to his colleagues at St. Joseph’s Hospital in Houston, including Drs. Cronin, Brauer, Biggs, and Ben Cohen. He provides a first-hand intriguing insight into the development of the breast implant by his uncle Dr. Thomas D. Cronin and colleagues!!

Dr. Cronin has received many awards and public recognition for his numerous medical missions primarily to Central and South America, providing expert surgical intervention to needy children and a unique educational opportunity for local physicians, accompanying plastic surgery residents, and numerous other learners. His pride is clearly evident in this book as he discusses mission experiences and the patients and people that made such missions so successful.

This book provides a very personal and exciting historical perspective in the evolution of a remarkable plastic surgeon’s career.

Plastic Surgery and the entire medical community should be so grateful to Dr. Ernest Cronin for sharing with us The Healing Mission of Plastic Surgery, a riveting chronicle of a full life of dedication, generosity, artistry, innovation, professionalism, and love of family and he is greatly admired and respected by all of us who know him.

Donald H. Parks BA, MD, FRCS(C), FACS

Professor of Surgery, McGovern Medical School, University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Chief, Division of Plastic Surgery (Retired)

About halfway through my 38 years of plastic surgery practice, I gave a presentation on plastic surgery at the Museum of Medical Science in Houston, which is now the John P McGovern Museum of Health and Medical science. I made a slide show that touched on several aspects of this fascinating field and intitled it, “The Healing Mission of Plastic Surgery.” I received positive feedback from the audience, which was generally not medical. During the remainder of my career, I mused about writing a book that would expand on that topic. I wrote many notes and collected many photographs over the years with that in mind.

 I retired on March 21, 2016, because of a sudden illness a few years sooner than I had planned. After convalescing for several months, I was delighted the Texas Society of Plastic Surgeons invited me to give a presentation reflecting highlights of my 38 years in private practice to their 2017 Annual Meeting.  Preparing for that event rekindled my interest in producing a book. I have spent a considerable portion of my time the last couple of years on writing The Healing Mission of Plastic Surgery. I decided that it was most appropriate to develop it as my professional memoir rather than a more expansive scientific work. Hence the chronological bibliography is weighted with my publications. 

 I believe that I have been fortunate to have had a productive and diverse career in exciting times for the development of plastic surgery. All the cases presented, unless otherwise stated, are mine. For anonymity and convenience, I have used first name pseudonyms for patients, whom I would, in my practice, have used, Mr. Smith, Miss Jones, etc.   I cropped most of the patient photographs to eliminate individual recognition. Some patient photos are of entire unconcealed faces or other recognizable parts, and I use them with permission. I also produced numerous photo-drawings to help explicate some concepts. I altered a few patient photos to camouflage possible identifying marks etc. I took many pictures with 35 mm film for slides that I later scanned and digitalized. I produced many amateur drawings, which I hope are helpful.  In this book, I want to present my personal experience to a general audience curious about plastic surgery and, at the same time, leave a remembrance to my family. They might have wondered what I was doing at the hospital or the office those 38 years.

He appeared to be an ordinary middle-aged man sitting in the first examination room of my plastic surgery clinic. The baseball cap was the only thing that seemed somehow out of place. I said, “Hello, Mr. Brown, I am Dr. Cronin; what can I do for you?”. Without saying a word, he grabbed the bill of his cap and, with a little flair, removed it to expose the reason for his visit. “Can you help me, Dr. Cronin?” he said. My eyes open a little wider, and I stood a little taller as I tried to be nonchalant. The entire structure of his forehead was missing. In its place was an indentation large enough to steady a basketball. I wondered how someone with such a deformity and apparent loss of brain tissue could be such a normally functioning individual. Eventually, I was able to give him a new forehead through the art and science of plastic surgery.

This man represents only one of many intriguing plastic surgery true stories that will unfold in The Healing Mission of Plastic Surgery. I will highlight many of the stories with images that further bring to life the human condition of actual patients in their quests for healing. This book reveals a seemly side to plastic surgery that is transforming lives every day in hospitals and clinics all over the world. I explore the interrelationship between functional, reconstructive, and aesthetic (cosmetic) surgery. I show the scope of plastic surgery from the top of the head to the bottom of the feet, which involves patients from infants to octogenarians.

This book is a memoir of the 38 years of my very diverse plastic surgery practice. All of the cases were done by me unless explicitly stated otherwise. The book touches on the origins of plastic surgery and attitudes about it. I exemplify self-image and body image issues with case studies. I elucidate the arduous requirements necessary to become a plastic surgeon.  I reveal the lack of regulation of specialists and some of the general misperceptions of the public regarding plastic surgery. I explain my early interest in medicine and my journey to become a plastic surgeon with the help of many excellent mentors.

I have had a particularly enjoyable type of practice, which combined private medicine with teaching in an academic residency program, with exposure to a broader range of cases than the average plastic surgeon. I depict exciting trauma experiences from the emergency room and beyond. I document the unique role of plastic surgery in cleft lip and palate care and breast cancer care. I disclose the development of the modern breast implant by Dr. Thomas Cronin and Dr. Frank Gerow.  I chronicle the origin of the Cronin and Brauer Cleft Palate Clinic and chronicle my thirty-year experience with Operation San Jose, a cleft lip and palate mission project to Latin America.  

 I share personal experiences covering functional, reconstructive, and aesthetic plastic surgery. I reveal the joys frustrations and disappointments of more than 38 years of practice.   I put into modern perspective innovations, which came about during my career, such as microsurgery, myo-cutaneous flaps, liposuction, endoscopic surgery, lasers. Included are stories of courageous patients benefiting from the modern wonders of the reconstructive possibilities in the ever-evolving world of plastic surgery today. I’ve written a book that I hope will appeal to the curious general public through the use of case studies and anecdotes.  I attempt to make plastic surgery vibrant for the reader, with before, intraoperative and after photographs, together with the many explanatory illustrations, which I have made.