THE MICHIGAN DAILY SUNDAY, SD:Medical Artists Help Doc m imen Pl q Tam arnaw NOVEMBER 16, 19 tors To comply with requests from doctors at University Medical Cen- ter who want illustrations of medi- cal techniques, various parts of the human anatomy and operating procedure, the University has es- tablished one of the largest medi- cal illustration departments in the United States. Located in a corner of the sub- basement of University Hospital, four illustrators and two drafts- men draw and copy everything from eye corneas to aortic arches. Doctors use these illustrations for teaching aids in the Medical School. - Prof. Gerald P. Hodge, head of the department, said illustrations are often better than photographs, for there is no extraneous material which prevents an accurate pic- ture of the specimen, particularly in the operating room. I"To become an illustrator, it is necessary to take a three year graduate course in medical illus- tration," Prof. Hodge said. Although medical illustration is fairly new to most people, the pro- fessor said one of the early ex- amples was found in Egypt show- ing Cleopatra giving birth to her children. The father of modern medical illustration is Leonardo DaVinci and it was first begun in the United States by Max Brodel in 1890. Prof. Hodge added that medical illustration at the University started in 1925,tbut an actual de- partment was established only three years ago. OPERATING ROOM-Medical illustrators are often found in the. operating room where doctors want illustrations of special operating techniques. Drawings showing the use of heart oxygenating pumps which supply oxygen to the heart during cardiac surgery and pictures of an aortic transplant are just some types of illustrating these artists do. Doctors then use these drawings for instruction in the classrooms. SLIT LAMP-An important job for the illustrators is to draw a part of the human anatomy under actual conditions. The cornea of the eye is being studied using this machine which sends a beam of light, which may be focused on any part of the eye, onto the cornea." BOOK DISPLAY-Several projects of the medical illustrators are the illustrations of textbooks. Mary Lou Cummings, one of the artists, shows some of the types of illustrations used in the books. Including pictures of body organs, nervous system and the muscles of the body. IN THE WARD-Prof. Gerald P. Hodge, head of the department of medical illustration, often works in the wards of University Hospital. Doctors request illustrations of various disease formations for study and for visual aids in teaching medical students how to recognize the most simple to the most complex lesions and markings. Visual aids instruction is one of the most important parts of a medical student's education. MODEL - Skeletons are often used by the illustrators when they draw pictures of the skele- tal system. _ ( ' . , ?