Beautiful relationship between art and medicine: from clay modeling to auricular cartilage modeling

Objective. To characterize the key aspects of ear reconstruction with autologous rib cartilage and to emphasize the role of artistic skills in development of this technique through analysis of biographies of surgeons who made a major contribution to this surgery. Material and methods. We reviewed the manuscripts in the Russian Science Citation Index (RSCI), PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science databases. Materials published in the last ten years were preferable. Results. The authors describe the contribution of the most prominent representatives of plastic surgery, including Leonardo da Vinci, Andreas Vesalius, Sir Henry Welkom, Sir Harold Delph Gillis, the pioneers of reconstructive auricular surgery Radford Chapple Tanzer, Burt Brent and Françoise Firmin. In particular, biographical information of famous reconstructive surgeons was analyzed to emphasize close relationship between art, culture and surgical practice. The future of surgery and potential impact of new technologies on this relationship are also discussed. Conclusion. History of auricular reconstruction encompasses many outstanding surgeons. They were courageous in innovating and combining artistic skills with surgical knowledge for better outcomes.