Listening To A Heart
Tom Cassidy
The stethoscope is a widely used symbol of the medical profession. All doctors, whether they use it or not, will own their own stethoscope. It is used to listen to what is going on inside a human body, mainly the heart. In today’s Western medical profession, advances have brought us to the forefront of healing and diagnosing disease. Illness has become above anything, a science. With this, clinicians can become so focused on what is going on inside the biomedical human body that they can’t hear what is going on inside the person. Doctors can spend all day listening to the heart of a patient, but not for a minute, listen to the patient’s heart. Not listening to the hopes or fears of a patient. Really listening to the underlying anxieties that have brought patients into the surgery in the first place may have a healing impact or simply leave the patient more satisfied with the level of care they have received because it is more holistic. In my piece I have used the stethoscope as a simple metaphor for the biomedical science and knowledge that is blocking the doctor’s ears from hearing the voice of the patient. In the painting his ears are literally blocked and so can’t hear the patient’s screams – which is supposed to represent the lack of time and care spent listening to our patients needs. Working in oils for the first time, I sketched out the composition then began painted using the outlines to guide me. I tried to give the doctor a blank, thinking expression; as if he was concentrating extremely hard on what he was hearing through the stethoscope – but not the screams of the patient. Working in black and white for no particular reason, I think this has simplified the piece and maybe conveys the metaphor more clearly. The evolution of the idea came by sketching out a range of possible compositions in my sketch book.
Creative Arts, Year Two, 2012
This artwork really portrays the importance of whole patient care and using a holistic approach in medicine. The screams of the patient are subconsciously ignored by the doctor who is too absorbed in the physical and biochemical structure of the patient. This to me emphasises the importance of treating of deeply listening to a patient to understand how a certain illness has impacted both their physical and emotional state. Whilst doctors must have extensive scientific knowledge of the human body they must also be able to deal with the complexities and intricacies of emotional suffering that patients endure.
This painting clearly represents a lack of holistic care and ignoring the emotional effect on the patient. It shows the importance of being aware of your patient and how they are feeling and not only focusing on treatment of the medical problem but also looking after a patients psychological health.
I find this artwork very captivating as it conveys the importance of viewing a patient as a whole rather than the problem they are presenting with. Perhaps it is easier to acknowledge physical health and neglect mental health, but both factors are equally as important. It is necessary that we account for both when treating patients and listen to their concerns as well as treating their physical symptoms. I especially like the use of the stethoscope to symbolise the medical profession.