Vinger die is genezen van een geïnfecteerde wond (osteomyelitis) before 1884

Curator: Here, on facing pages, we see a gelatin silver print by an anonymous photographer, titled “Finger Healed From Infected Wound (Osteomyelitis)", dating from before 1884. Two photographic portraits of a human hand take up the majority of the space, presented in stark monochrome. Editor: Immediately, the clinical presentation strikes me—there's a stark contrast in these facing images. The damaged digit, displayed first, versus the…whole? It evokes both pain and the relief of recovery in such an unvarnished manner. The book format, combined with this "before-and-after" duality creates an almost palpable sense of narrative tension. Curator: Precisely. It transcends simple anatomical depiction. The injured finger, in Plate A, with its darkened, festering tip becomes an icon of suffering. Look closer at how the surrounding healthy tissue radiates almost an inner light in comparison to the trauma; it symbolizes the body's inherent struggle for preservation, as do its dark color and direction. The clean lines of Plate B signify complete recovery. Editor: The photographic process contributes much to the experience, lending it an air of detached objectivity. The limited tonal range seems to strip away any potential for sentimentality. We’re confronted with pure form. Consider also that upright direction and almost rigid central composition that lend authority to the portrait. Curator: Consider too how our brains are drawn toward bilateral comparisons, enhancing emotional reactions like awe or repulsion based on what these medical snapshots tell viewers about the journey. It also serves to demonstrate advancements in nineteenth-century surgical methodology, if one may consider cauterization with vitriol a benefit. The stark formal arrangement enhances the psychological depth as the infected hand leads to themes involving bodily wholeness as well as existential frailty in later imagery once restored. Editor: Looking away, what stays with me is less the literal medical narrative but that profound sense of witnessing the resilience encoded in human physiology. That's a story all bodies know, regardless of what their particular ailments may be. Curator: Yes, seeing them juxtaposed highlights that even within scientific objectivity resides our eternal concern with overcoming physical challenges that mirror mortality—transcended by restoration made physical!