“Visualizing Disease,” an exhibition of pathological illustrations from the 16th century to the mid-19th century on display now at the Lilly Library is believed to be the first of its kind, drawing together images of various diseases, internal lesions and dermatological conditions in a single display.
Curated by Professor Domenico Bertoloni Meli in the Department of History and Philosophy of Science in the College of Arts and Sciences, the exhibition features first-of-their-kind illustrations, including a reproduction of the original watercolor that pathologist Thomas Hodgkin used in 1832 when he lectured about what we now know as Hodgkin’s lymphoma.
“Visualizing Disease” is on display through Dec. 20. It includes three paintings from artist and Grunwald Gallery of Art director Betsy Stirratt’s “La Maladie” series, and never-before-displayed works from the Bushong-Beasley Antiquarian Dermatology Collection, donated to the Lilly Library in 2008 by Indianapolis residents Charles M. Beasley Jr., a psychiatrist, and Rebecca L. Bushong, a dermatologist. The exhibition was made possible by a New Frontiers grant from the Office of the Vice President for Research. An extended press release --"Exhibition at IU Lilly Library focuses on early illustrations of disease"--is available at IU Communications.
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