Loechel, William E.

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Henry Ford Hospital Medical Journal Volume 9 Number 1 Article 8 3-1961 Visual Aids and the Medical Staff William E. Loechel Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarlycommons.henryford.com/hfhmedjournal  Part of the Life Sciences Commons, Medical Specialties Commons, and the Public Health Commons Recommended Citation Loechel, William E. (1961) "Visual Aids and the Medical Staff," Henry Ford Hospital Medical Bulletin : Vol. 9 : No. 1 , 49-53. Available at: https://scholarlycommons.henryford.com/hfhmedjournal/vol9/iss1/8 This Part I is brought to you for free and open access by Henry Ford Health System Scholarly Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in Henry Ford Hospital Medical Journal by an authorized editor of Henry Ford Health System Scholarly Commons. VISUAL AIDS AND THE MEDICAL STAFF Wii LiAM E. L O E C H E L * Perhaps the two most frequenlly asked questions relating to the portrayal of medical subject matter ;ne: 1. "Hasn't photography replaced drawing?", and 2. "How long does il lake to produce one of these drawings?" The answer to the first question is simply "No . . . they are allied fields that work for and with each other". This brief article will attempt to answer the second question. rhe time lhat is taken in producing medical drawings, charts, exhibits or models is based upon several factors: i.e., clear idea of the requester, availability of other sei vices if involved, and complexity of the subject. With these thoughts in mind, the following suggestions are set forth, with the idea of giving the staff the best service from the Medical Illustration Department. SURGICAL DRAWINGS: If it is possible lo alert the Deparlmenl of Illustration before an operation is scheduled, it is wise to do so. Once the illustrator is presenl, it will be up to the surgeon to place him in a position of seeing the most for the time he spends there. While it is not necessary to keep up a running conversation, the operator should keep in mind points to be emphasized in the drawing, possibly alerting the illustrator before lhal particular stage is reached. Should it happen thai an illustrator is unavailable, the surgeon can still have the drawings made later after sutTicieni consultation. Photos laken of operative fields are valuable to the illustrator in many cases, bul the most elTicient way to have surgical drawings made is to have the illustrator at the table. GROSS SPECIMENS: Many gross specimens that do not lend themselves readily to photography, find their way to the laboratorv shelves without any thought being given as to whether or nol they can be diagrammed or drawn. If such a specimen is of sufficient interest to the doctor, it would be well worth his while to have drawings made of it during a relatively fresh state before il has a chance to become distorted. As an example, a heart specimen was selected from the laboratory shelves which had not previously hecn photographed or drawn. Its significant features were atrial septal defeci, ventri-cular septal defect, hvperlopbied right ventricle, and a hypoplastic left ventricle. Drawings of the specimen are shown. One should note also the anomalous positions of aorta and pulmonary vein. These draw ings were made w ith the idea of reconstructing the subject as it appeared in the living subject with the added visualization of cut away 3reas and cross sections. While the left halt of the illustration was made by simply •approximating the cut edges of the postmortem incision, the right half was produced schematizing information gotten from many views of all the chambers. The drawing provides a clear visual picture and no tissue was destroyed in producing il. (Fig. 1). * Director. Medical Illustration Department. 4') Loechel A -V S D. Figure 1 nuiing I posimoriem examination, some iinatomical features are better shown by a dra\^ing than a photograph. During a postmortem examinalion, some anatomical features worth recording are better shown by a drawing than by a photograph. On one occasion, a call from the aulopsy room came at 10:30 P.M. The doctor had found extremely unusual relationships in the chest and fell lhat to draw the structure in situ would be a valuable document. The body had to be ready for the mortitian to lake early in the morning Drawings were made showing the hearl. lungs, anomalous vessels, rib cai»e, etc., as they appeared; in addition, a "phantom" drawing was made showing the hidden re-lationships. Time and service were put lo good use. In preparing to dissect struclures relaled to porta-caval anastomosis, the author was c<mfronted with the unusual relationships depicted in the accompanying drawing. An original pencil sketch took 10 minutes and the inking look V2 hour. (Fig. 2). Ihis type of "comprehensive" drawing is a valuable record because il takes less time to understand lhan a written description. Any number ot interesting and valuable anatomical lads can be readily (and rapidly) recorded o\er a period of years. The writer encourages use of drawings in this area, and would be delighted lo demonstrate simple drawing techniques that the doctors can use themselves in the course of their autopsy examinations. EXHIBITS: -Assuming an exhibit plan has been approved, the requester should assemble as much of his material as possible and discuss this with the Medical Illustration Depart-ment. A six month advance notice is required. Once the basic discussion has taken .SO Visual Aids ng of m situ relationships employing "phatom • effect, (from one of the authors cadavers) 51 Loechel place, the material can be developed in an organized fahion; the usual progression being: 1. An overall design of the panels. 2. Mechanical or electrical details. 3. Specific illustrative details. ( rowding an exhibit with copy is to be avoided. In many cases, even the non-mechanized and sparsely labelled exhibit becomes animated because the physician in attendance can talk about the display. MODELS: \ Medical models can be produced only if sufficient time is allowed. Thĉ se con-templating such a project should consider thoroughly what is to be demonstrated, and the model built only after basic drawings (scale plans) have been agreed upon. C HARTS AND GRAPHS: Blue line graph paper is the ideal paper on which lo develop a graph, and ihe requester who uses it makes the job simple for himself. The blue lines will not re-produce. If graph lines are to be included, black or red graph paper should be used. Drawn lines should be drawn with a pencil hard enough to retain ils point, should there be converging lines. If it is possible to type the copy, this is preferable to writing. So often, terms in one field are clear to those in lhat field, even though hurriedl) written, bul when they appear before one who knows little of their meaning, the result is a stumbling block in the production of the otherwise clear preliminary drawing. To letter in or draw in anything that is not positively clear, often results in last minute patching and erasing. Should the occasion arise when a great number of graphs are to be prepared, the machinery in the Illustration Department will run more effectively if the work is sent in early enough so that the preparation can be spread over a period of several weeks. To submit such an order on one day and expect it completed wiihin three or four days would be unfair to others who are waiting for their jobs to be completed If graphs are being developed bv the doctor over a period of months, it is better lo submit them as individual items than to wait until a collection of them is complete. SLIDES: ^ As a general rule, if a sheet of ordinary typing paper is folded into quarters, any typing that can be pul into the space (even crowding it) will be the optimum copy to be lettered on the slide. In this way, (/// lettering will be visible in an average auditorium. (Fig. 3). If need be. quite a bit more copy can be included, but its size will mean it is less legible from distant points. The important thing to remember is proportion. Where extensive copy must appear on the chart, emphasizing by means of color helps break up the mass of wording. Slides may be prepared with an overall i tint, which lakes little time to add and which makes the slides much more readable 52 Visual Aids Figure 3 The Medical Illustration Department is eager to discuss the needs of the staff — feeli g quite strongly that well planned visual descriptions are a vital part of a medical mesv ge. 53 

Visual Aids and the Medical Staff

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