Thought this announcement may be of interest to those of you interested in faith (and) healing from an historical perspective. -EJS
Everyday Miracles: Medical Imagery in Ex-Votos, a new special exhibit
at the National Library of Medicine, explores the relationship between
faith and healing as expressed in the personal devotional paintings from
Italy and Mexico. Ex-Votos are small paintings usually done on tin,
and are an expression of an individual's gratitude for the intercession
of the divine in a crisis. Painted with illustrations of patients,
doctors, and diseases, ex-votos open a window to our understanding of
how the faithful cope with illness in their daily lives.
Using examples from the past three hundred years, the exhibit provides a
glimpse of the role that faith has played for some in the healing of
illness and injury. Illustrating both the prayers of the faithful and
the symptoms of illnesses such as smallpox and tuberculosis, ex-votos
offer a rare opportunity to view an individual's personal response to
illness and healing as well as the symptoms of disease.
The exhibition features several expressive painted ex-votos and is
complemented by a display of early medical guides from the 16th and 17th
centuries published in Mexico and used to assist in the care and
treatment of the sick.
Everyday Miracles: Medical Imagery in Ex-Votos will be on display in the
History of Medicine Division of the National Library of Medicine
beginning September 15, 2008 through January 31, 2009.
This exhibition was developed and produced by the Exhibition Program of
the National Library of Medicine and was curated by Jill L. Newmark.
An online web version of the exhibition will be available at
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/exhibition/exvotos
For more information, please contact Jill L. Newmark, 301-435-5241 or
newmarj@mail.nlm.nih.gov
Jill L. Newmark
Registrar
National Library of Medicine
8600 Rockville Pike
Building 38 - Room 1E-21
MSC 3819
Bethesda, MD 20894
301-435-5241
301-402-0872 (fax)