Art and Neurosurgery: The Importance of Medical Illustration.

Art in neurosurgery has been a critical part of the discipline for centuries. Numerous cultures, such as ancient India, China, and Egypt, and more contemporary scientists, such as Leonardo da Vinci, Max Brödel, and Norman Dott, have significantly contributed to medical illustration. Today, advancements in three-dimensional technology have allowed for the creation of detailed neuroanatomy models for surgical planning and education. Medical illustrations are also used for research and outcome documentation as they help visualize anatomy and surgical procedures. Its use in education, surgical planning, and navigation remains integral to the advancement of neurosurgery. This review demonstrates the invaluable contribution of art in neurosurgery and how it has enabled continuous progress in the field.

Intra-renal Arteries in Nephrectomy from a Historical Aspect, a Quest Originated by Medical Illustrations to Reach Modern Angiography.

The aim of the present paper is to contribute to the understanding of the history of the anatomical study of the intra-renal arteries. The vasculature and especially the intra-renal arteries of the kidneys are an intriguing field which was first studied through art and then perfected by medicine. Angiography and microsurgery have resulted in partial nephrectomy techniques for surviving kidneys with adequate functional results. Graves' categorization dating from 1954 opened the way for innovative approaches that have resulted in modern topographical anatomy. CONCLUSION: Our understanding of the anatomy of intra-renal arteries has played a significant role in surgical anatomy and internal medicine.

Historical Accounts of Congenital Heart Surgery.

We present historical accounts of congenital heart surgery since the early 1900s, as our specialty evolved from individual heroic efforts into an established and sophisticated surgical specialty with consistent and excellent results. We highlight colleagues and intrepid pioneers who have strived to solve seemingly insurmountable problems during this remarkable journey and celebrate continued success into the 21st century with surgical advances that have resulted in innovative operations, database inquiries, quality measures, new techniques of medical illustration, and the establishment of the Congenital Heart Surgeons' Society, which has become the leading organization dedicated to congenital heart surgery in North America.

Evaluation of the Urinary System Diseases Sections in the Book Cerrahiyetü'l Haniyye (Imperial Surgery) by Sabuncuoglu Serefeddin.

OBJECTIVES: Serefeddin Sabuncuoglu (1385-1465) is a medical scholar who wrote the first illustrated surgical book (Cerrahiyetü'l Haniyye [Imperial Surgery]) in the history of Turkish and Islamic medicine. Sabuncuoglu benefited from the books of medical scholars before him and translated the book et-Tasreef of Abul-Qasim Khalaf Ibn Abbas Alzahrawi (Albucasis), which was the most important surgical book of its time. In this study, the urinary system disease sections of the textbook by Serefeddin Sabuncuoglu were examined. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Cerrahiyetü'l Haniyye and et-Tasreef were evaluated by comparative textual analysis methodology in terms of urinary system diseases and its treatments. RESULTS: The textbooks contain the same definitions of the cauterization of the kidney, cauterization of the urinary bladder, the treatment of urine retention, bladder irrigation with the syringe, and the forms of the instruments for the extraction of a stone from men and women. Serefeddin Sabuncuoglu made additions to the kidney and bladder cauterization and bladder irrigation sections. Colorful miniatures containing images of the procedures performed on the patients are found in Cerrahiyetü'l Haniyye. CONCLUSIONS: The urinary system disease section in Cerrahiyetü'l Haniyye is a translation of et-Tasreef in general, with some additional information and drawings. The surgical instruments and procedures described by both physicians have reached the present day with changes.

A novel scale for the evaluation of physician drawn medical illustrations.

Effective communication is a crucial component of patient-centered care and individuals with low health literacy face significant challenges in managing their health, leading to longer hospital stays and worse outcomes. Visual aids, such as medical illustrations and pictograms, can enhance patient understanding and memory retention; however, there is a lack in the medical field of tools for evaluating and improving a physician's ability to draw clinical illustrations for their patient. This article explores an aesthetic scale created in collaboration between Boston University Medical School and the Boston University Fine-Arts department. The scale scores basic design elements that could reasonably be improved in a clinical setting. A pilot study demonstrated interrater reliability between trained artists scoring images of varying concepts and visual quality with a Cronbach's alpha of 0.95. This scale has potential use in medical visual education and clinical evaluation.

Painting unknown worlds.

This paper sets out to discover more about the name 'Tarrant' whose ophthalmic paintings have regularly featured in ophthalmic textbooks over the past 50 years. Through a series of telephone calls, I have spoken to Tarrant about his life and work while I research the origins of ophthalmic illustrations charting the story behind this art movement. The paper also explores the eventual decline of retinal painting and the emergence of photography, concluding that due to the continuing advance of technology the ophthalmic photographer may eventually succumb to the same fate as the artist.

Surgical illustration: the role, the reason, and the route.

Surgical illustration plays a fundamental role in the surgical field, being able to convey imagery in a more comprehensive way. However, its utility has seen a decline and being slowly replaced by photographs and 3D models. Surgeons are in a unique position that is optimum for producing surgical illustrations due to having direct contact and possesses a deep knowledge of the subject being drawn. The process of producing an illustration may also be valuable to the long-term conceptual understanding of that surgeon. This article aims to highlight the field of surgical illustration, its future potential, and act as a guide for surgeons to start illustrating.

Uso de la imagen como herramienta de enseñanza aprendizaje en peritonitis aguda / The use of images as tools for teaching and learning about acute peritonitis

Introducción: La imagen como medio de enseñanza constituye un recurso de aprendizaje muy empleado en la cirugía general. Objetivo: Exponer la utilidad de la imagen digital como medio de enseñanza ilustrativa en la peritonitis aguda. Métodos: Se realizó una investigación de desarrollo en el Hospital Clínico Quirúrgico Docente Dr. Ambrosio Grillo Portuondo de Santiago de Cuba, desde enero hasta julio de 2020. Se utilizaron como métodos teóricos la sistematización y el histórico-lógico; y como empíricos, el vivencial y la observación, con la práctica atencional-docente de la autora. Resultados: La experiencia práctica contextualizada de la autora en el escenario hospitalario diverso de atención clínico quirúrgica a pacientes con peritonitis aguda permitió constatar el uso de la imagen digital estática y dinámica como herramienta de enseñanza-aprendizaje de la enfermedad. El carácter científico y pedagógico de las imágenes tomadas a este tipo de enfermo incrementó la habilidad diagnóstica y terapéutica en los residentes de cirugía. Conclusiones: La imagen digital como medio de enseñanza ilustrativo de la peritonitis aguda constituye un recurso de aprendizaje de incuestionable valor. Su utilidad, pertinencia y factibilidad incrementan la motivación de los residentes de cirugía en pos de lograr una formación académica integral(AU)

Introduction: Images as teaching aids are learning resources widely used in the field of general surgery. Objective: To show the usefulness of digital images as illustrative teaching tools in acute peritonitis. Methods: A developmental research was carried out at Dr. Ambrosio Grillo Portuondo Clinical Surgical Teaching Hospital, of Santiago de Cuba, from January to July 2020. The historical-logical and systematization methods were used as theoretical methods, while the experiential and observation methods were used as empirical methods, together with the healthcare provision and teaching practice of the author. Results: The contextualized practical experience of the author in the diverse hospital setting of clinical-surgical care for patients with acute peritonitis allowed confirming the use of static and dynamic digital images as tools for teaching and learning about the disease. The scientific and pedagogical character of the images taken of this type of patients increased the diagnostic and therapeutic skills among surgery residents. Conclusions: Digital images as illustrative aids for teaching acute peritonitis are learning resources of unquestionable value. Their usefulness, relevance and feasibility increase the motivation of surgery residents, in view of achieving comprehensive academic training(AU)

Representation in medical illustration: the impact of model bias in a dermatology pilot study.

As greater attention is paid to representation and the 'decolonizing' of education and media, the field of medical illustration must stay current. Multiple previous studies have concluded that the majority of medical textbooks depict primarily 'default' young, white men. Many have expressed that this lack of representation resulted in feelings of alienation; others posited it is a contributing factor for the disparity of care for marginalised groups. This research took arguably the most identifiable feature, skin colour, to explore this disparity - the variation of dermatological symptom expression on melanin-dense skin for four conditions. To evaluate the impact of having a diverse range of models, a study was devised to demonstrate identification rates of melanin-dependent dermatological symptoms in a quantifiable, though non-statistically significant manner. Participants were split into two groups and asked to review four different skin conditions (Group-A receiving illustrations of homogeneous pale skin tones, and Group-B receiving illustrations depicting diverse skin tones) before identifying clinical photographs. While the group with a diverse reference pool performed marginally better overall, they performed better identifying specific conditions in which melanin levels impact the appearance of the condition. This pilot study serves as a strong base for a more developed future study.

A new student-led digital drawing course: an initiative to bridge patient health literacy through medical illustrations.

Many physicians believe illustrations can be helpful in patient encounters, but fail to create such drawings due to a perceived lack of artistic ability. Digital drawing platforms, however, have the ability to compensate for the lack of artistic skills. Our study sought to evaluate how digital drawing instruction would impact the likelihood of medical students to utilise illustrations in future patient encounters. 'Draw Your Way Through Medicine' was an elective course, offered at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in 2020. The course instructed students how to create digital drawings using Procreate and how to depict specific surgical procedures. Students completed pre-and post-course surveys, which were analysed using paired t-tests. Thirty-six students enrolled in the course, of which 27 completed the pre-course survey and 21 completed both pre-and post-course surveys. Students' comfort level with drawing improved somewhat (3.0 to 3.5, p = .08), while their comfort level with creating medical illustrations improved significantly (2.2 to 3.7, p < .01). Qualitative responses echoed the enthusiasm for implementing digital drawing as a clinical communication tool. A digital drawing course showed considerable value in improving medical students' confidence in generating medical illustrations, making this form of visual communication a potentially valuable tool in patient care.

Body painting e body projection: simulação no ensino-aprendizagem em enfermagem / Body painting and body projection: simulation in nursing teaching-learning / Body painting y body projection: simulación en la enseñanza-aprendizaje de la enfermería

Objetivo: relatar a experiência da utilização das tecnologias body painting e body projectioncomo ferramentas facilitadoras do processo ensino-aprendizagem na perspectiva de docentes de Enfermagem durante o ensino do exame físico cardiovascular. Método: relato de experiência de estratégia facilitadora aplicada ao processo de ensino-aprendizagem do exame físico cardiovascular durante o curso de graduação em Enfermagem de uma universidade privada de São Paulo­Brasil. Resultados: participaram da experiência 40 estudantes, dois professores, um artista plástico e dois modelos que receberam a pintura corporal. O uso das referidas tecnologias suscitou reflexões sobre a possibilidade de utilizá-las como ferramentas para o ensino de forma lúdica e eficaz, otimizando o contexto acadêmico formal. Conclusão: as ferramentas body painting e body projection, de acordo com a percepção dos docentes, facilitam o processo de ensino-aprendizagem do exame físico cardiovascular, uma vez que aproximam a teoria da prática e permitem, aos estudantes, associações visuais que superam as tradicionais barreiras de ensino-aprendizagem.(AU)

Objective: to report the experience of using the body painting and body projection technologies as facilitating tools in the teaching-learning process from the perspective of Nursing professors during teaching of the cardiovascular physical examination. Method: an experience report of a facilitating strategy applied to the teaching-learning process corresponding to the cardiovascular physical examination in the Nursing undergraduate course at a private university from São Paulo, Brazil. Results: a total of 40 students, two professors, one plastic artist and two models on whom body painting was applied took part in the experience. Use of the aforementioned technologies raised reflections about the possibility of employing them as tools for playful and effective teaching, optimizing the formal academic context. Conclusion: according to the professors' perception, the body painting and body projection tools facilitate the teaching-learning process corresponding to the cardiovascular physical examination, as they bring the theory closer to the practice and allow students to make visual associations that overcome the traditional teaching-learning barriers.(AU)

Objetivo: informar sobre la experiencia del uso de las tecnologías de body painting y body projection como herramientas facilitadoras del proceso de enseñanza-aprendizaje desde la perspectiva de los profesores de enfermería durante la enseñanza del examen físico cardiovascular. Método: informe de experiencia de estrategia facilitadora aplicada en el proceso de enseñanza-aprendizaje del examen físico cardiovascular durante el curso de graduación en enfermería de una universidad privada de São Paulo- Brasil. Resultados: participaron en la experiencia 40 alumnos, dos profesores, un artista plástico y dos modelos que recibieron la pintura corporal. El uso de estas tecnologías suscitó reflexiones sobre la posibilidad de utilizar ambas como herramientas para la enseñanza de forma lúdica y eficaz, optimizando el contexto académico formal. Conclusión: las herramientas de body painting y body projection, según la percepción de los profesores, facilitan el proceso de enseñanza-aprendizaje del examen físico cardiovascular, ya que aproximan la teoría a la práctica y permiten a los alumnos realizar asociaciones visuales que superan las barreras tradicionales de enseñanza-aprendizaje.(AU)

A cigar in the left hand, a paintbrush in the right: Illustration and the anatomical sciences.

The anatomical sciences heavily rely on art and illustration to convey form, depth, and relationship within living structures. Today, biomedical illustrators carry forward traditions from 16th century artists through the likes of 20th century champions such as Frank Netter to help educators and researchers convey their messages to their listening, and more importantly, viewing audiences. Biomedical illustration programs are a valuable resource for academics to package their research as published figures, including graphical abstracts, in scientific journals. Here, we describe an innovative art-science collaboration among The Anatomical Record, the Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology at Rush University, and the Master's Program in Biomedical Visualization at University of Illinois at Chicago, whose students were invited to create and submit scientific illustrations for consideration as cover art for the journal.