The Art of Observation and the Observation of Art: Zadig in the Twenty-first Century

Journal of General Internal Medicine
Salvatore MangioneBrian F Mandell

Abstract

Astute observation is a fundamental component of the art of medicine. Yet most schools and residencies offer little formal teaching of this skill, with some outsourcing the entire subject matter to art museums and instructors. Curiously, it was nineteenth century medicine that may have provided the conceptual framework for what is now known as Visual Thinking Strategy, the technique used by many art-based programs in order to teach observation. We suggest that the time is ripe for medicine to regain ownership of the teaching of this skill, not only because it may enhance clinical care but also because only the eyes of a skilled physician can best interpret crucial medical details. To this end, we shall revisit both the method of Zadig, which William Osler practiced and taught to his students, and its application to the observation of art first pioneered by the Italian physician Giovanni Morelli. As an example of this skill, we shall use focused observation to decode a fifteenth century portrait that hangs at the Philadelphia Museum of Art, thus turning a seemingly non-descript Renaissance painting into a treasure trove of personal, social, and medical information.

References

May 15, 1992·Annals of Internal Medicine·B M Belkin, F A Neelon
Jul 1, 1994·Southern Medical Journal·V Harisdangkul, W W Johnson
Sep 18, 2001·JAMA : the Journal of the American Medical Association·J C DolevI M Braverman
Apr 19, 2013·Journal of General Internal Medicine·Lauren BlockLeonard Feldman
Apr 8, 2017·Cleveland Clinic Journal of Medicine·Salvatore Mangione

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Citations

May 21, 2020·American Journal of Pharmaceutical Education·Therese I PoirierKatie Ronald
May 14, 2021·American Journal of Medical Genetics. Part C, Seminars in Medical Genetics·Salvatore Mangione

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