Hektoen International

A Journal of Medical Humanities

Tag: Philadelphia Museum of Art

  • Recognizing nonverbal communication through art

    Florence GeloPhiladelphia, Pennsylvania, United States On a recent excursion to the Philadelphia Museum of Art for a themed tour, medical students gathered to look at paintings of suffering and healing. For this medical humanities elective, led by faculty members, each small group viewed these images, using a discussion guide to elicit their responses. Our tour…

  • Caduceus versus the Staff of Asclepius

    This painting from the Philadelphia Museum of Art is attributed to Gaspare Pagani, a relatively obscure sixteenth century artist from Modena, Italy, the world capital of balsamic vinegar. It shows an elderly man carrying a staff with two serpents coiled around it, serving to identify him as a physician. The man has made no momentous…