Hansen Bert
Department of History, Baruch College of CUNY, 55 Lexington Avenue, New York, NY 10010.
J Hist Med Allied Sci. 2017 Oct 1;72(4):381-421. doi: 10.1093/jhmas/jrx037.
Two groups of black-and-white photographs are found in medical rare book rooms and the collections of historically minded physicians. They were created by artists Hiller and Sarra to bring medical history to life for members of the health professions and, to some extent, for a wider public. These were not didactic illustrations for a textbook, but elegant scenes of great figures from Antiquity to the nineteenth century, evocation not documentation even though they were based on research. As pieces of fine art, cherished in portfolios or framed on the wall, the quality prints were intended to stimulate curiosity about the achievements of the figures portrayed. While familiar to some archivists and librarians, these photographs have received almost no attention in the scholarship of medical history. Only one short article examined them in 1983. In recent years these photographers have been given new consideration by scholars of advertising and photography. Using those works and primary sources, this article expands both men's biographies, and it explores their working methods, their artistry, and their achievements. An appreciation of these photographs enlarges our understanding of the place of medical history in American culture during the first half of the twentieth century.
在医学珍本室以及有历史意识的医生的藏品中，可以找到两组黑白照片。它们是由艺术家希勒和萨拉创作的，目的是为卫生专业人员，在一定程度上也为更广泛的公众，展现医学史的生动面貌。这些并非是教科书的说教式插图，而是从古代到19世纪伟大人物的精美场景，即便它们基于研究，但却是唤起而非记录。作为珍藏在文件夹中或装裱在墙上的精美艺术品，这些高质量的照片旨在激发人们对所描绘人物成就的好奇心。虽然一些档案管理员和图书馆员熟悉这些照片，但它们在医学史学术研究中几乎未受到关注。1983年仅有一篇短文对其进行了研究。近年来，广告和摄影领域的学者对这些摄影师有了新的关注。利用这些作品和原始资料，本文扩充了两人的传记内容，并探讨了他们的工作方法、艺术手法以及成就。欣赏这些照片能加深我们对20世纪上半叶医学史在美国文化中地位的理解。
