“Show Your Wound” Medicine and the Work of Joseph Beuys
Authors: Gunter Wolf
Journal: Annals of Internal Medicine (2000)

Medical Writings5 December 2000“Show Your Wound” Medicine and the Work of Joseph BeuysGunter Wolf, MDGunter Wolf, MDDr. Wolf: University of Hamburg, University Hospital Eppendorf; D-20246 Hamburg, GermanySearch for more papers by this authorAuthor, Article, and Disclosure Informationhttps://doi.org/10.7326/0003-4819-133-11-200012050-00031 SectionsAboutFull TextPDF ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissions ShareFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail Since antiquity, many artists have used medical themes as subjects in their work (1, 2). However, few visual artists use medical subjects broadly, interweaving them through their oeuvres as metaphors for social and political problems. One such artist is Joseph Beuys (1921–1986). His work in the world of medicine is embedded in a framework determined by both science and the human psyche (3). In his installations and sculptures, Beuys incorporated discarded bloody bandages, broken pill bottles, rusty syringes, old medical textbooks, animal bones, radiography films, and other medical artifacts (4-6). In addition, Beuys's work often used symbolic representations of different ...References1. Meakins JL. Surgical infection in art. Arch Surg. 1996;131:1289-95. CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar2. Emery AE. Genetic disorders in portraits. Am J Med Genet. 1996;66:334-9. CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar3. Stachelhaus H. Joseph Beuys. Britt D, tr. New York: Abbeville Pr; 1991. Google Scholar4. Borer A. Joseph Beuys. Munich: Schirmer/Mosel; 1996. Google Scholar5. Beuys E, Beuys W, Beuys J. Joseph Beuys-Block Beuys. Munich: Schirmer/Mosell; 1997. Google Scholar6. Schellmann B. [Art and pathology: Joseph Beuys–“show your wound”]. Pathologe. 1983;4:325-7. MedlineGoogle Scholar7. Schulz H. Die Plazentavorstellung von Joseph Beuys. Köln: Salon Verlag; 1997. Google Scholar8. Murken AH. Joseph Beuys und die Medizin. Münster: Coppenrath; 1979. [NLM Unique ID: 8509758] Google Scholar9. Schulz H. [Skull and mandible. On Joseph Beuys' “ancient sled.” Medical art history observation]. Mund Kiefer Gesichtschir. 1999;3 Suppl 1 S7-11. CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar10. Murken AH. Auf der Suche nach dem Heil. Joseph Beuys und die Medizin. Deutsches Ä rzteblatt. 1979;47:3155-62. Google Scholar11. Adriani G, Konnertz W, Thomas K. Joseph Beuys: Life and Works. Lech P, tr. Woodbury, NY: Barron's Educational Series; 1979. Google Scholar Author, Article, and Disclosure InformationAuthors: Gunter Wolf, MDAffiliations: Dr. Wolf: University of Hamburg, University Hospital Eppendorf; D-20246 Hamburg, GermanyAcknowledgment: The author thanks his friend and colleague Fuad N. Ziyadeh, MD (University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia), for a critical reading of the manuscript and for helpful discussions.Grant Support: Dr. Wolf holds a Heisenberg Scholarship from the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft.Corresponding Author: Gunter Wolf, MD, Department of Medicine, Division of Nephrology and Osteology, University of Hamburg, University Hospital Eppendorf, Pavilion 61, Martinistrasse 52, D-20246 Hamburg, Germany. PreviousarticleNextarticle Advertisement FiguresReferencesRelatedDetails Metrics 5 December 2000Volume 133, Issue 11Page: 927-931KeywordsBloodBoneFearHeartHospital medicineMyocardial infarctionPlacentaShockSkullSocial influence ePublished: 5 December 2000 Issue Published: 5 December 2000 Copyright & PermissionsCopyright © 2000 by American College of Physicians. All Rights Reserved.PDF downloadLoading ...