{"id":10713,"date":"2025-01-08T22:36:28","date_gmt":"2025-01-08T22:36:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/peraltafinancing.com\/entertainment\/books\/satirical-medical-art-thoughts-on-papyrus\/"},"modified":"2025-01-08T22:36:28","modified_gmt":"2025-01-08T22:36:28","slug":"satirical-medical-art-thoughts-on-papyrus","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?p=10713","title":{"rendered":"Satirical Medical Art \u2013 Thoughts on Papyrus"},"content":{"rendered":"


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\u201c\u2026I curse loquacious doctors for their lies:
They kill the man who\u2019d live, save him who\u2019d died.
Many physicians are foes of the sick
And fail to study what is wrong but, quick,
Prescribe a cure, and often kill outright\u2026\u201d<\/mark><\/em>
Part of a medieval Latin poem, discovered D. Yates, Bulletin of the History of Medicine<\/em> (1980).<\/sup><\/sub><\/p>\n

Satirical medical art has been around a long time. For example, caricatures of the medical profession, quacks and healers, are found in the sixteenth century Italy, and, then, English painter William Hogarth (1697\u20131764)\u00a0also brought to the public his vision of the medical practitioners\u2019 faults, as well as the horrors of Bedlam. Below are three paintings from three different historical periods, showcasing the prevalent attitudes towards medical profession or the state\/progress of medicine.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\n
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An Operator Making an Incision behind the Ear of a Seated Patient<\/em> [1636] by Joachim van den Heuvel (attrib.)<\/mark><\/sub><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

An Operator Making an Incision behind the Ear of a Seated Patient<\/em><\/strong> by Joachim van den Heuvel<\/strong><\/mark><\/h4>\n

The setting here is an apothecary of a sort where a person undergoes a medical procedure, being restrained by others. Everything regarding this procedure appears haphazard, from the eccentric red costume worn by the \u201csurgeon\u201d to the attitude of the men helping him restrain the seated patient who is to be blood-let. The woman is seen being shocked at the sight of blood as the surgeon makes an incision behind the patient\u2019s ear and blood appears. There is a poster on the wall showing calculi, bladder stones, which is another sign that this operation may have something to do with the eventual extraction of the stone of folly from the patient\u2019s head (these stones were thought to be the cause of madness). The warm colours of this artwork, and the determined, enthusiastic expressions of some men disguise the fact that this is, in fact, a very dangerous procedure carrying a high risk of infection, especially if performed in an unhygienic environment, similar to this makeshift operation room. Hieronymus Bosch (c. 1450 \u2013\u00a0 1516) is believed to be one of the first to depict this theme of extracting the stones of folly in art, see my discussion of his painting in post Hieronymus Bosch: 3 Lesser-Known\u00a0Artworks<\/a>. <\/mark><\/p>\n

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\"\"
Physicians disputing while the patient suffers<\/em> by Johann Geyer (1807-1875).<\/mark><\/sub><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

Physicians disputing while the patient suffers<\/em> by Johann Geyer <\/strong><\/mark><\/h4>\n

This satirical painting shows physicians gathered in a house of one rich sick man. The doctors dispute either his diagnosis or treatment as the patient is seen in the background to the left, waiting patiently and suffering in silence. The physicians\u2019 arrogance, obstinacy and self-interest prevent them from reaching an agreement and actually curing the patient, or alleviating his pain. They are more concerned with their reputation, status and possible shame if proven wrong about something. One doctor holds a flask of liquid in his hand with a defeated expression on his face, while another is furiously gesticulating, being in a heated debate. Another is seen smiling and rubbing his hands, and one is even yawning, probably being bored of the whole affair. More doctors are also seen in the background exchanging words. Time is of the essence, and yet, it is being wasted.<\/p>\n

The state of the seventeenth- and eighteenth-century medicine was still very far from what it is now, with physicians of that time being often unsure what really causes this or that disease, and some even still believing in the theory of the four humours<\/a>. This scene by Geyer<\/mark> depicts chaos and incompetency of the esteemed profession of that time. It was a common art satire to respond to powerful professionals who could do more harm than good to their patients, for example, by unnecessarily bleeding or wounding them, or invading their privacy, while also collecting money from them. \u201cGod heals, and the Doctor takes the Fees<\/em>\u201d (attrib. Benjamin Franklin).<\/p>\n

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\"\"
The Surgeon<\/em> by Jose Perez (1929-).<\/mark><\/sub><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

The Surgeon<\/em> by Jose Perez<\/strong><\/mark><\/h4>\n

In this painting by Jose Perez, the operation on a patient in a hospital is linked to a construction work. As on a construction site, much depends in an operating room not only on the experience of the staff, but also on the level of team-work, organisation, and individual responsibility. In both of these settings, workers have to work seamlessly together as a unit, while also being individually accountable for different tasks.<\/mark> In this artwork, Perez satirises the advanced and increasingly complex nature of operations in our modern age, where various body parts, including faces, can be replaced by others, while many of the tools used to bring it all about, as well as humans, with all our fallibility, remain the same.<\/p>\n

The art depicts an unconscious patient, even resembling a statue of liberty, on an \u201coperating table\u201d. The medical staff work tirelessly on the patient as builders would on any monument or building to be raised. The workshop looks frighteningly makeshift and rudimentary \u2013 one single match illuminates the whole procedure, some wooden planks on the patient remind of an open Bible, and a surgeon reading from a chart gives an appearance of a priest \u201cministering\u201d over the procedure. It seems that some, if not most, things in this operating room still depend on God\u2019s will. The advances of modern medicine awe and instil a sense of wonder, but the core procedures and principles have not changed much, and the same, though modified, age-old medical tools are being used. Discover more satirical medical art by American artist Jose Perez on this site<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\t\t\t<\/p><\/div>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u201c\u2026I curse loquacious doctors for their lies:They kill the man who\u2019d live, save him who\u2019d died.Many physicians are foes of the sickAnd fail to study what is wrong but, quick,Prescribe a cure, and often kill outright\u2026\u201d Part of a medieval Latin poem, discovered D. Yates, Bulletin of the History of Medicine (1980). Satirical medical art […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":10715,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[101],"tags":[1885,4560,8364,5820,4538],"dealstore":[],"offerexpiration":[],"class_list":["post-10713","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-books","tag-art","tag-medical","tag-papyrus","tag-satirical","tag-thoughts"],"yoast_head":"\nSatirical Medical Art \u2013 Thoughts on Papyrus - Som2ny Network<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?p=10713\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Satirical Medical Art \u2013 Thoughts on Papyrus - Som2ny Network\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"\u201c\u2026I curse loquacious doctors for their lies:They kill the man who\u2019d live, save him who\u2019d died.Many physicians are foes of the sickAnd fail to study what is wrong but, quick,Prescribe a cure, and often kill outright\u2026\u201d Part of a medieval Latin poem, discovered D. Yates, Bulletin of the History of Medicine (1980). 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