What do you people do-now that everything has been illustrated?

A noted anatomist asked recently this illustrator "What do you people do-now that everything has been illustrated?" It is disconcerting to be obliged to defend the need for the existence of the profession of medical illustration and makes the nape of the neck turn pink. The question has festered for months and this "defensive answer" pertains to the work performed by the Health Sciences Illustration Department at the University of Washington. For the novice and layman such a question opens usually Pandora's box of reply. As with the original Pandora of Greek mythology, only Hope remains in the box-and it is hoped that other engaged in medical education will be more aware of our profession and its broad and everchanging contributions.