This, then, is the history of mammaplasty; no doubt more remains to be said and our presentation is necessarily subjective. The tale is nonetheless a fascinating one as it testifies to the work of plastic surgeons for more than a century. The best way of bringing it to life is to perform a mammaplasty. Let us be aware that each of our acts, in its ease and simplicty, bears witness to this history and to the endeavours of the men who made it.