Hektoen International

A Journal of Medical Humanities

Waiting for the doctor

This painting evokes the desperation and exhaustion of a harrowed family seeking treatment for their child  and perhaps also for the mother. The distant stare in the man’s face captures uncertainty and resignation. Perhaps he wonders if they have come too late, if the child in his arms will survive his illness. Perhaps he wonders how much longer they have to wait.

Masterfully painted, artist Robert Lee MacCameron captures the pale faces, wrinkles, veined hands, and skinny legs of each figure.

Waiting for the Doctor by Robert Lee MacCameron. 1910. Smithsonian American Art Museum. Public domain.
 

Highlighted Vignette Volume 14, Issue 2 – Spring 2022

Winter 2020

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