Street Anatomy

Visible Proofs: Forensic Views of the Body

A fascinating exhibition by the National Library of Medicine in Bethesda, Maryland, called Visible Proofs, details the history of forensic medicine and the current trends in technology influencing the field.

Visible Proofs “testify on behalf of the victims of violent crime and against the guilty – and console and inspire and amaze us.”

The site offers a great overview of forensic science with numerous links and resources available. It even has an education section that provides lesson plans for teachers.

Here are a few of the forensic illustrations made during the 1800s, from the gallery. Hover over the images to see their descriptions.

“In atlases and manuals of legal medicine, 19th-century forensic pathologists used pictures and words to show students and colleagues their methodology—a precise inventorying of the condition of the victim’s body.”

Interlude: Medical Visual

Anatomical Theater in Leiden (1610)
Engraving by W. Swanenburg

“Anatomical Theatre at Leiden was sold as a souvenir at the University of Leiden in the Netherlands. The well-dressed men and women touring the dissection hall in this 1610 engraving by W. Swanenburg show that the upper classes of 17th-century Europe were interested in anatomy.” [via Yale]

The flags carried by the skeletons read “nascentes morimur” (to be born is to die), “mors ultima linea rerum” (death is the line that marks the end of all), “mors sceptra ligonibus aeqvat” (death wrenches from the hand the sceptre as well as the spade), “pulvis & umbra sumis” (we are dust and shadow). [via The Art Bin]

Interlude: Medical Visual

Currently the image on my desktop…

Artist: Jacques Gamelin (1738-1803)
From: Nouveau receuil d’ostéologie et de myologie (1779)

Is that a scalpel in your bowel? An introduction to Medical-Legal Illustration

With the increase in the number of malpractice and personal injury suits it’s becoming increasingly important to provide adequate visual representation in order to effectively convey medical information to a jury. Can you imagine taking complex medical/clinical information and interpreting it so that a jury with an average high school science education can understand? This is exactly what a medical-legal illustrator specializes in. He or she not only has a strong science background, but a good understanding of legal terms and proceedings. And good for them, because just wrapping my head around complex medical concepts is enough for me.

Medical-legal illustrations are often done as multiple images on one board. They can also be presented in a computer presentation. They are accompanied with text/labels and often appear with x-rays, CT, or MRI scans of the patient or victim. Here are a couple of lovely graphic examples below created by MediVisuals.

That’s another plus of having medical illustrations in a trial; cutting down on the gory images. Imagine what the real photo of the person in the above illustration looked like! Often times when we are presented with graphic images we are too consumed with the shock to pay attention to the educational information. Medical illustrations function to highlight specific details and leave out the bloody mess, because really, who needs to see that?

In addition to making the illustrations clear, persuasive, educational, and pretty, they also need to be admissible as evidence in court. This means that the illustrations cannot be unfairly prejudiced, confusing, or misleading in any way. If the opposing counsel feels that the illustrations do not portray the facts, they can object to it. If the evidence is thrown out, there goes all your hard work producing those illustrations, so it is especially important that everything is accurate.

Medical-legal illustrators aren’t in it for the recognition of their work. Their illustrations are viewed as evidence and nothing further. Illustrations may simply be thrown out after a trial is over. 3D illustrations and animations are rarely used, but when they are it’s usually for very serious cases with a lot of funding behind them. The reason for this is because animations are difficult to produce, expensive, and take a lot of time. Usually for trials, lawyers want illustrations done quickly and cost-effectively (actually that doesn’t differ from most clients).

So, medical-legal illustrators work hard to create illustrations and legal exhibits that are aesthetically pleasing, accurate, well designed, and neatly presented in order to make that crucial positive impact on the jury.

Interlude: Medical Visual

Need a hand?

There is something anatomically incorrect about this color illustration…can you tell what it is?

Anatomie generale des viscères en situation, de grandeur et couleur naturelle, avec l’angeologie, et la nevrologie de chaque partie du corps humain (1752)

Artist: Jacques Fabian Gautier d’Agoty (1717-1785)
Surgeon: Jacques-Francois-Marie Duverney (1661-1748)

Trained as a printmaker, Gautier d’Agoty created his illustrations using a technique he helped pioneer, color mezzotinting. Mezzotinting involves making different color impressions using individual copperplates. He was the first to use colored mezzotinting in anatomical illustration.

Gautier d’Agoty worked with the surgeon Duverney to produce a series of life-sized plates. And although Duverney and several others helped him create the plates, d’Agoty boasts that he is the “demonstrator, artist and engraver all in one.” He was a very passionate and dedicated individual, however, his beautiful illustrations are noted more for their style than their usefulness to physicians. (The heart in the above illustration is not in the correct anatomical position)

Sarah Lowengard wrote a nicely detailed article on d’Agoty. Read it here.