Book Review

Pathology and visual culture: The scientific artworks of Dr. Jean-Martin Charcot and the Salpêtrière School

Abstract

In art historical investigations of Dr Jean-Martin Charcot and his work at the Salpêtrière, the focus has largely been on the representation of hysteria. Seminal texts have pioneered investigations in this field, and many students in art history are as acquainted with the key debates of photography and hysteria as they are with studying the Old Masters. Natasha Ruiz-Gómez’s book breaks new ground by turning much of her attention away from the representation of hysteria, to explore the ‘pathological drawings, photographs, casts, and sculptures’ (4) of neurological diseases that the clinicians and artists of the Salpêtrière created. Pathology and Visual Culture offers a case study of how these scientific artworks ‘combined scientific knowledge and artistic expression’ (4). Ruiz-Gómez presents a commendable study, situated within the fields of art history and visual culture, on how the scientific artworks trouble the binary between science and art, objectivity and aesthetic, and forwards an interpretation of the artworks that considers how the clinician and/or artist negotiated an interest in pursuing both ‘medical objectivity and artistry’ (5).