The statistic is damning, but we must not turn away. If we have any expectation at all of being a civilised country, we must, instead, look behind the shaming figure: more than 1000 patients have maxillo-facial surgery every year as a result of violence in Glasgow alone. Then we must acknowledge that the figure is rising. It means that every six hours, on average, specialist surgeons begin patiently and skilfully to rebuild a face that has been battered, slashed or kicked in an act of mindless brutality. Probably only one-third of these violent crimes are reported to the police. Even so, the official figures show a recent increase in both murders and attempted murders.
The statistic is damning, but we must not turn away. If we have any expectation at all of being a civilised country, we must, instead, look behind the shaming figure: more than 1000 patients have maxillo-facial surgery every year as a result of violence in Glasgow alone.
