Memento of the post-mortem

Area of Science:

• Medical Art and Design
• Pathology and Medical History

Background:

• The Department of Pathology at Radboud University Nijmegen Medical Centre faced the loss of its physical memory with the demolition of marble post-mortem tables during a relocation.
• The post-mortem tables represented a significant historical and physical archive of the department's work.

Purpose of the Study:

• To preserve the memory associated with the post-mortem tables and the significance of the post-mortem examination.
• To integrate these historical elements into the new departmental space through an artistic intervention.

Main Methods:

• An artist, Piet Hein Eek, was commissioned to create a work of art incorporating the post-mortem tables.
• The three tables were incorporated into a triptych, stood upright against a wall.
• Screen prints of enlarged microscopic images were mounted behind double glass sheets in front of the tables.

Main Results:

• A triptych artwork was created, uniting the post-mortem tables and glass slides.
• The artwork serves as a memento, preserving the memory of the post-mortem and pathology.
• The design re-embedded these pathological emblems into the contemporary environment of the new medical centre.

Conclusions:

• The artistic integration successfully preserved the department's memory and the significance of the post-mortem.
• The artwork bridges the past and present, embedding pathology's history within a modern setting.