Fotoreproductie van een tekening, voorstellende het lossnijden van staar tijdens een oogoperatie before 1873

This is a photographic reproduction of a drawing by A. de Montméja, made sometime after his birth in 1841, depicting a cataract surgery. The image presents us with a moment of intense medical intervention. The doctor's hands, tools in place, dominate the composition. The patient's face, vulnerable and exposed, speaks volumes about the power dynamics inherent in the medical field. It is a power that has often been wielded to control not only the body, but also knowledge and access to healthcare. How might the cultural understanding of medicine and the role of doctors influence the reception of this image? To understand this image better, we might research the history of medicine, and the social status of doctors during the time it was made. This image reminds us that art does not exist in a vacuum, and that its meaning is always shaped by the social and institutional contexts in which it is created and viewed.