‘Following Photographs: The entangled histories of medical education and clinical photography in Cape Town, South Africa’, Michaela Clark (University of Manchester, UK)
In the 20th century, clinical photographs were produced with various aims in mind. As visual records of symptomatic patients, they served to supplement patient records, they were used as a teaching aid, and they were published as illustrative material for medical texts. In South Africa, clinical photography drew largely on equipment, materials, and practices developed overseas. However, its local implementation was fundamentally shaped by both individual as well as institutional interests. This presentation seeks to illustrate this by taking a photographic archive as an entryway into the entangled history of teaching surgery in Cape Town. Homing in on photographs produced at the country’s first medical school, the discussion showcases how following clinical photography can highlight shifts in professional pursuits, academic concerns, and the political weight of medical education in mid-century South Africa.
Registration: This Seminar will be held virtually on Zoom. Please email alice.naisbitt@manchester.ac.uk – for the Zoom link
Details of seminar programme can be found here.
HSTM Network Ireland 