A watercolour of an early 17th-century plague doctor’s costume.
(Wellcome Trust/Used under Creative Commons licence)
Medicine and Art
The Day of Special Interest held on the 25th March 2022 at The Warwickshire Country Club, Leek Wootton, Warwick was entitled “Medicine and Art”.
Dr James Grant MBE, a retired General Practitioner, gave members two lectures in the morning: the first on “Medical Gold” from Ancient Egypt to The Nobel Prize and the second on “The Art of Pandemics”: In contrast to the altarpieces and the secular paintings of the plague and previous epidemics the Covid-19 pandemic has led to an outpouring of remarkable street art. Artists have depicted the effects of disease, the basic human need to blame someone or something for their suffering as well as producing wonderful images which have inspired great hope and consolation. Saint Sebastian to the rescue!
In the afternoon, there was a complete contrast! A prize quiz based on Dr. Grant’s collection of medical instruments and artifacts. What is it and what would it be valued at? Absolutely fascinating but no-one managed to get all the correct answers!
The lectures and the quiz were informative and fun. Dr. Grant was very clear and entertaining in his presentations.
