Body Of Work: Excavating History at the International Museum of Surgical Science
Attributes of the Gods: Galen
gold leaf, gold wrist bands, monkey skull and book from Museum collection
2011
Galen was considered so powerful an intellect that his anatomical studies were standard for centuries—despite the fact that he did his dissections on monkeys, not human bodies (look closely, there is a monkey's skull tucked in is arm.)
Hippocrates and Galen gave us the double-edged legacy of Doctor as God: the image of the idealistic, dedicated healer, and the authority whose theories are above reproach.