Initially posted to Wimereux, near Boulogne, he acted as medical minder to a French-American dentist, Valadier, who was not allowed to operate unsupervised but was attempting to develop jaw repair work.
U početku smješten u Wimereux, u blizini Boulogne, radio je kao pomoćnik francusko-američkog zubara, Valadiera, kojem nije bilo dopušteno operirati bez nadzora, ali je pokušavao razviti rad na ozljedama čeljusti.