In 1934, John Dillinger was one of America’s most wanted. He was in hiding in Chicago and looking for a way to escape arrest. He turned to plastic surgery, hoping to transform his face and erase his former identity. His lawyer introduced him to Wilhelm Loeser, a German-born physician involved in the narcotics trade. Loeser agreed to change Dillinger’s face and fingertips for $5,000. To modify Dillinger’s prints, Loeser cut away the outer layer of skin, the epidermis, and treated the fingertips with hydrochloric acid. He then scraped away the remaining visible ridges. Dillinger could not use his hands for days, ...