News

New Exhibits in Artway

Dec 5, 2012, 11:13 AM by Julia Essex

The Institute for the Medical Humanities (IMH) at the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston (UTMB) is delighted to announce that two new exhibits are on display in the Avery-Winkler Artway on the second floor of the Primary Care Pavilion. The exhibits, "Abstract Anatomy: The Wall Diagrams of William Keiller, MD (1861-1931)" and "Photographing Pediatrics, 1900-1940" will be on display until the summer of 2013.

"Abstract Anatomy: The Wall Diagrams of William Keiller, MD(1861-1931)" showcases a series of vivid images reproduced from original drawings by William Keiller, MD, the first anatomy professor at UTMB. Dr. Keiller’s drawings are held in the Truman G. Blocker, Jr. History of Medicine Collections at the Moody Medical Library. These drawings attest to UTMB’s rich visual medical heritage. Rather than simply reproduce a selection of complete drawings, these abstract images aim to focus the viewer’s attention on the aesthetics of color, line, shape and form. The exhibit was curated by Paula Summerly, PhD, Visiting Scholar, IMH and produced by Jerome Crowder, PhD, Assistant Professor, IMH.

"Photographing Pediatrics, 1900-1940" features a series of clinical photographs taken by staff at a dispensary and outpatient’s clinic in Chicago. Some of the infectious diseases and hereditary conditions exhibited are rarely encountered by modern-day physicians.  The exhibit was curated by Paula Summerly, PhD, in 2010 and is on loan from the Galter Health Sciences Library, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago.

Paula Summerly’s academic background is in the history of medicine (PhD, University of Glasgow), palaeopathology (MSc, University of Sheffield), and fine art photography (BA, Sheffield Hallam University).  During her time at IMH, Dr. Summerly will research the role of visual knowledge in medicine and the humanities, with a special emphasis on photography. Her interests include the art of clinical observation and patient anonymity.  She will be in residence as a Visiting Scholar at the IMH through January 2013.  You can read more about her work online,http://imh.utmb.edu/programs/visiting-scholars.

Jerome Crowder is a medical and visual anthropologist who has worked in Bolivia (since 1989) and Perú (since 2003) and most recently in East Houston (since 2006) and Galveston (since 2010). He received his Ph.D. in Anthropology from the University of Pittsburgh in 1998 and then held a National Cancer Institute Post-Doc at the U-Texas Health Science Center-Houston, School of Public Health for a year through (2000).  Dr. Crowder is currently an Assistant Professor and Associate Director of the IMH.  You can read more about him online and see some of his photography,http://imh.utmb.edu/about-us/faculty/jerome-crowder.

Dr. William Winslade, Director, Visiting Scholar Program IMH is planning a formal opening of these exhibits in January 2013.  A comment book will be available for those who would like to leave thoughts after viewing the exhibits.