‘This Week in Graphic Medicine’ highlights relevant articles (and tweets) about comics in medicine published during the week (Saturday – Friday). Links are typically presented without commentary, unless clarification of relevance is necessary, with credit given to those who flagged them up where possible. So without further ado…
Matthew’s Pick of the Week…
For the first time since I started this section of the blog, I am actually highlighting a specific published comic (yes I really did take more than a month to do so). The always fabulous Cathy Leamy (@metrokitty on Twitter) saw her comic, IBD Comic: The Bittersweetness of Invisible Illness published this week on @Crohns_HU. The comic was inspired by an article Stephanie Hughes wrote about the invisibility of IBD. While not a new trend in comics at large, of late there seem to have been more-and-more graphic medicine adjacent comic adaptations of prose (Matteo Farinella’s adaptation on the problems with -omics for example). I hope it continues because these have been a delight for me and I know for many of you as well.
Back to Cathy’s comic, I think you’ll get the most out of it if you read it yourself a couple of times. First, a once-over to get the feel of the narrative and where it is going. Then again to appreciate the way the characters are drawn – they are amorphous enough to be anyone. This is an underappreciated skill, especially for stories about medicine, where it is important for as many as people as possible to see themselves in the story. (This is contentious, as some of the discussion during the GM #Ethics chat shows.)
Then I’d ask you to read it once more. This time, imagine yourself as the person living with an invisible illness if you don’t have one – or if you do, read it from the perspective of one of the bystanders. Consider how getting into the head of the other party might make your interactions more meaningful. How you would feel knowing how uncomfortable it is when people make false assumptions about ability. This kind of reading is where comics can help develop empathy.
I want to end with a tweet I sent with my immediate reaction when I finally got to read this comic, because as someone living (relatively) invisibly with chronic pain, so much of it rings close to home:
Oh my gosh Cathy, I love this! This panel in particular. Showing the *literal* cracks under the surface like this is such a great way to help people get at what is going on. #GraphicMedicinepic.twitter.com/8cSmFP7KnP
— Matthew Noe (@NoetheMatt) February 15, 2018
P.S. Did you know that Cathy has a comic in CORPUS: A Comic Anthology of Bodily Ailments still being funded on Kickstarter? Don’t miss it!
Articles & More…
Storify: AMA Journal of Ethics on Comics & Graphic Medicine #EthicsChat via @pfanderson AND as a Symplur
If you missed this on Twitter, you should definitely read through this Storify. I didn’t link much of the conversation in the Tweets below – getting it in any coherent order wasn’t happening.
Kickstarter: Comic Turns
Webcomic: Promise via @lunarbaboon
Webcomic: surf’s up via @TheBoonDocs
Book Review: Government Issue
Book Review: Adrian Tomine’s Killing and Dying
Book Review: The Senses
Book Review (Goodreads): Anxiety is Really Strange via @NoetheMatt
Blog: Dra. Garabatos // Dr. Doodle via @uge_garabatos
Blog: The Limits of Empathy (Part One: Selective Empathy)
Podcast: Using Comics to Teach Medical Ethics in Spain and Beyond via @ComicNurse and @mlalanda
Podcast: Episode 256 – Lauren Weinstein
Interview: [Column] GET A GRIP! Healing by Millimeters – Nate Piekos on how lettering injured his entire arm
Crowdfunding Watch: A Challenge, CORPUS and Milford Green
Graphic novel by Sherine Hamdy, anthropology, earns PROSE award
“What I See”: Discovering Your Vision and Voice through Comics
NLM Launches “Graphic Medicine: Ill-Conceived and Well Drawn!” (Medium)
NLM Launches “Graphic Medicine: Ill-Conceived and Well Drawn!” (Potomac Patch)
Meet Mamie Phipps Clark, the social psychologist who helped outlaw segregated schools
Storytelling Unveils the Heart of Medicine
2018 Great Graphic Novels for Teens
Tweets…
ICYMI, @nlm_news‘s “Graphic Medicine” exhibit: https://t.co/sCuWO3YUm1 There’s a really interesting essay on student graphic medicine narratives in “The Walking Med,” https://t.co/uFQ88GcGfe
— MedHeritageLibrary (@MedicalHeritage) February 9, 2018
I will be in Denver for #alamw18 on Sat & Sun. Find me at the @unciv table. Support artists’ health in your community. Let’s chat re: #graphicmedicine, self-care for artists, and my new book, Draw Stronger. https://t.co/W47C8FVIsV pic.twitter.com/2uqn2N11t8
— Kriota Willberg (@Kriota) February 9, 2018
Reading Anxiety is Really Strange and this 4-panel sequence (which is treated like a panel of its own on the layout – fascinating) describing panic attacks stands out. #GraphicMedicine pic.twitter.com/rF1lsiHzxd
— Matthew Noe (@NoetheMatt) February 9, 2018
Graphic medicine? Through comics and graphic novels, artists are able to communicate how illness or disability impacts their lives. National Library of Medicine offers this online exhibit of comics about disability, health, and illness. https://t.co/vP2TBzXz7P @rappahannockcc pic.twitter.com/TZmVsgGtcf
— RappaCoCo Library (@rappacoco) February 9, 2018
Two immediate thoughts
1. Every time I see this article title I am shocked at how specific it is.
2. Historietas is a term for comic (specifically ‘comic-book style health education brochure’) that I haven’t seen elsewhere— Matthew Noe (@NoetheMatt) February 9, 2018
The importance of involving participants from *within* a culture cannot be overstated. #GraphicMedicine pic.twitter.com/2b7Y4TeoLD
— Matthew Noe (@NoetheMatt) February 9, 2018
Smiles, Apologies, and Drawing Trauma-Informed Care in the PurpLE Clinic https://t.co/S4C4yD89iG #graphicmedicine
— P. F. Anderson (@pfanderson) February 10, 2018
Putting the finishing touches on tomorrow’s pitch for a .@YBCA exhibit that blends #Art #PublicHealth #SocialJustice #Technology #ybcafellows .@NarrativeMed .@GraphicMedicine Just need to remember to breath pic.twitter.com/ZklsGDQqTW
— Medical Narratives (@MedNarrative) February 10, 2018
Thank you very much @AntonioMasAB to let me know about more Brilliant Spaniard Experts Women at #MedicinaGraphica ! 🇪🇸🇪🇸#comics for #science & #publichealth
Le Medicina en el Cómic https://t.co/bWrAXYPPzQ via @graphicmedicine
— Susan Nasif (@VirologyComics) February 10, 2018
Potential future #telehealth problems: The imposter #parent or #patient. Our job as clinicians? Confirm we know whom we are talking to. (We should be alerted when the requests seem #outrageous). #GraphicMedicine pic.twitter.com/IeHW3EQOwF
— jackmaypole (@drmaypole) February 10, 2018
Look! @Kriota is in the house! Stop by and say hello! Booth 1816B @alamw #alamw2018 #GraphicMedicine pic.twitter.com/aUbs4zMzCE
— Uncivilized Books (@unciv) February 10, 2018
When Gertrude Elion saw her grandfather’s struggle with cancer, “I decided that nobody should suffer that much.” She eventually discovered an effective chemotherapy for leukemia. https://t.co/UpKJSAEfhf
— Massive (@massivesci) February 10, 2018
Yay Abd The Outliers by E Eero Johnson. A non-verbal boy with unique powers. #graphicmedicine at the @unciv booth 1816B @alamw18 pic.twitter.com/rW3IBEljBO
— Kriota Willberg (@Kriota) February 10, 2018
Using comics in #meded can increase class participation and students’ self-awareness of learning. Here’s what @mlalanda @rogaltro found when they started teaching confidentality using comics #GraphicMedicine https://t.co/ElM92E4BmF pic.twitter.com/HXH6sTGpI0
— AMA Journal of Ethics (@JournalofEthics) February 10, 2018
Our book “Tottenham’s Trojan Horse?” is for adults – it’s fully illustrated, in comic format & based on academic research. If you’re curious about other non-fiction books for adults like this try #graphicmedicine #graphicjustice #graphicsociology #graphicjournalism #graphicmemoir
— Amanda Lillywhite ✏💬 (@AJLillywhite) February 11, 2018
.3/1 @2pmET @nlm_news @NIH A Conversation about #GraphicMedicine with @NLMdirector @ellen_forney Michael Green @PennState MK Czerwiec @gwNURSING Special public program in conjunction with the #newexhibition Graphic Medicine: Ill-Conceived & Well Drawn! https://t.co/qHvtNWfnqk pic.twitter.com/eyq2NuwJ2Q
— Jeffrey S Reznick (@jeffreysreznick) February 11, 2018
#ColdSeason is peaking. #OverTheCounter cold meds may not be worth what we spend on them, and some folks insist #antibiotics will cure their #URI. Old school #ProTip: Tea w honey(or lemon or both) may work as well or better for that itchy #throat/nagging #cough. #graphicmedicine pic.twitter.com/zFpCbKHiEI
— jackmaypole (@drmaypole) February 11, 2018
Did I mention the “Drawing Victim” poster here at the @unciv booth 1816B? #alamw18 #graphicmedicine pic.twitter.com/pJPeHC76Hz
— Kriota Willberg (@Kriota) February 11, 2018
Support workers deal with the difficulties of choice. Take a look at this comic by Lucy Bergonzi #graphicmedicine https://t.co/zyncHZLjBH
— Ian Williams (@TheBadDr) February 11, 2018
Congratulations! My pal @ComicNurse continues to educate me on graphic medicine.
— Barbara Glickstein (@BGlickstein) February 12, 2018
And @mjg15 has been doing this on a bigger scale for years now: https://t.co/mXp0OogAiB.
That said, most of the #GraphicMedicine literature is focused more on the impact of reading comics – whether longform memoir or short informational – rather than creation.
— Matthew Noe (@NoetheMatt) February 15, 2018
Must be a bad #FluSeason if I had this dream last night. #Worsethanbad #Fightflu #graphicmedicine pic.twitter.com/iL5YXxWkxB
— jackmaypole (@drmaypole) February 13, 2018
.@TheBadDr stirring it up at #dotMD16: Graphic Medicine and the Bad Doctor https://t.co/1QDkmSI1AJ pic.twitter.com/XAkj1t07TI
— dotMD (@DotMDConf) February 13, 2018
Medicine Man is an upcoming Tribal Punk Graphic Novel by Kenny Nam.#Tribal #Punk #MedicineMan #SVA #MFAVN #Thesis pic.twitter.com/AKr2o2k3xL
— MFA Visual Narrative (@MFAVN) February 13, 2018
Q9: Pain. If I had to pick one subject to see an anthology comic put together about, it would be pain. We experience it uniquely. The #OpiodCrisis is making it harder to get necessary medication. And a stressful world makes it harder to handle. #GraphicMedicine #EthicsChat
— Matthew Noe (@NoetheMatt) February 13, 2018
I was thinking about both of these options too. I’d be interested to see the @PSUPress @GraphicMedicine series do more anthologies. And by interested I’d dedicate time to seeing it happen.
— Matthew Noe (@NoetheMatt) February 13, 2018
ICYMI. A Parables of Care thread. #GraphicMedicine; #dementiacare https://t.co/W4iT300AMI
— Ernesto Priego (@ernestopriego) February 14, 2018
Brainstorming for the development of a new #GraphicMedicine, but the setting is so much different. At LSL, we were THE library and defining the scope of GM felt different.
— Matthew Noe (@NoetheMatt) February 14, 2018
Comics improve healthcare? Even Stan Lee would take this #IPE #Practice #Activity! @ComicNurse presents a workshop (04/30). Learn about the #educational power of #graphic #comics in medicine. Seats available for COM/ @UAMSCHP / COP. Register: https://t.co/Ae9d3dlC9G @uamshealth pic.twitter.com/1CHnWVvTu5
— UAMS_IPE (@UAMSIPE) February 14, 2018
According to initial research about the effects of #graphicmedicine, comics may help patients understand more about their illnesses https://t.co/aVx7yb9dTs
— AMA Journal of Ethics (@JournalofEthics) February 14, 2018
Interested in incorporating a graphic ethnography into one of your anthropology courses? Request an exam copy! https://t.co/ocaVEPSWhN #Lissa #anthropology #ethnography #graphicnovel #research #health #medicine #politics #gender #MiddleEast #Egypt #inequality #solidarity pic.twitter.com/gkZAf7mEjN
— UTP Publishing (@utpress) February 14, 2018
Wow – Raised on Ritalin is being taught at the University of Toronto’s med school! Very honored!!! #comics #graphicmedicine #ADHD pic.twitter.com/I7709dm8WS
— tyler page (@tylerpage) February 14, 2018
If you’re interested in #mentalhealth or #comics you’ll love ‘Anxiety is Really Strange’, the new science-based #graphic #medicine comic explaining #anxiety and how to manage it – read more here: https://t.co/q36tMKDVly pic.twitter.com/eeIaca3pkv
— Singing Dragon Books (@Singing_Dragon_) February 14, 2018
Thanks to everyone for participating in the #graphicmedicine discussion hosted by @journalofethics — you can view the archive via the @AmerMedicalAssn website. pic.twitter.com/5TEmWuTukD
— Booster Shot Comics (@BoosterShotCmx) February 14, 2018
Yeah!!! It is an amazing book. Some images are legendary and worth ten lectures about patient dignity, empathy and compassion
How I love #medicinagráfica !! pic.twitter.com/j41hOHzPAV— monica lalanda (@mlalanda) February 15, 2018
Glad to be a “Palliatoonist” for the #hpm field and excited to see #graphicmedicine gaining traction… It’s a highly accessible way for patients and providers to tell their stories!!! More work is on the way…
— Nathan Gray (@NathanAGray) February 15, 2018
This is the first page of my new (and very first!) comic. You’ll have to wait for the anthology it’s going to be in to read the rest. I can’t wait to show my Spring 2019 ENG 110: Graphic Medicine Students @DavidsonCollege now I can say I’ve done the assignment I give them! Ha! pic.twitter.com/1Z8JQj095D
— Ann Fox (@annfoxdavidson) February 15, 2018
We have an anthology coming out this Spring! GRAPHIC REPRODUCTION is on issues of, well, reproduction: https://t.co/Y3idQd60LZ And we’re always open to proposals!
— PSU Press (@PSUPress) February 15, 2018
This is what a health care workshop looks like when a graffiti street artist sketchnotes for you. pic.twitter.com/74GBqtXney
— Bon Ku, MD, MPP (@BonKu) February 15, 2018
The Feb issue of @JournalofEthics explores #comics’ power to visually represent & comment on #healthcare and approach consideration of #values in health care not only ethically but aesthetically. Check it out: https://t.co/9JrQAQyIkh #medhum #graphicmedicine #healthcareproviders pic.twitter.com/ifsy1egiup
— The Gold Foundation (@GoldFdtn) February 16, 2018
Tune in to #ComicEpidemic tomorrow & Saturday for updates from Comic Epidemic: Cartoons, Caricatures and Graphic Novels @CRASSHlivehttps://t.co/np6nFIiuY1 pic.twitter.com/iSSlTh0qdr
— Visual Plague (@visualplague) February 15, 2018
Wonderful interview with @jadedlyco in this week’s @Ink_Mag_UK! Lets share the love on this lovely sunny day @Laydeezdocomics @streakofpith @GraphicBrighton @GraphicMedicine @comicopera @NicolaStreeten @LGBTComics https://t.co/PQy8DqtlPe
— Myriad Editions (@MyriadEditions) February 16, 2018
#GraphicMedicine titles on #caregiving #caregivers @petewendel (@ Taubman Health Sciences Library in Ann Arbor, MI) https://t.co/mrVoAf6k4W pic.twitter.com/Pog4HJt6Hs
— P. F. Anderson (@pfanderson) February 16, 2018
📚Borrow the book or watch 👀the video!,📺 #IHadABlackDog
► https://t.co/nZixVcoiU0 #graphicmedicine #depression— Newcomb Library 📚💻📱🤔ℹ (@NewcombLibrary) February 16, 2018
My department @TilburgU has an opening for a female Associate or Full Professor of Digital Health Communication. There’s good potential for someone doing #GraphicMedicine here. Want to join a great program? https://t.co/APEbOIEKnq
— Neil Cohn (@visual_linguist) February 16, 2018
Med Students Who Make Time for Art Have More Empathy https://t.co/owDaT2o3rz via @artsy
— Matthew Noe (@NoetheMatt) February 15, 2018
Some great stuff this week! Did I miss something? Let me know in the comments below or tweet @NoetheMatt! Until next time…
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