Opgespannen stuk dikke darm met littekenweefsel van zweren door difterie before 1879

This image shows an opened piece of colon with scar tissue, most likely rendered as an illustration. Its monochrome palette heightens the stark realism, evoking a visceral response through the detailed textures of the tissue. The composition is dominated by the stretched colon, its edges secured by threads that create a grid-like structure. This recalls the post-structuralist concepts of enclosure and constraint, and the tissue becomes a site of complex readings around fragility and resilience. The scars disrupt the surface, challenging notions of wholeness and health. Consider how the image reflects a broader cultural engagement with the body in medical discourse. The stark representation invites us to consider how medical illustration constructs the body, and the semiotic system of signs which inform it, and how the artistic rendering interprets and presents the human form.