The nude in medical photography: a historical perspective, with modern legal ramifications

Taking medical photographs of nude patients was common in the nineteenth century and was related to the diagnostic promises of photography. Nude photography today, while just as diagnostically important, is a carefully thought out practice fraught with serious legal ramifications especially when dealing with children and adolescents. As members of the human race, we are diverse in our practices and not only on a country wide but a regional level. What is acceptable in New York is not necessarily acceptable in central Kansas. Unfortunately, in many circumstances, it is difficult to measure intent. Vintage medical photographs have become valued as art, as well as historic and cultural documents. Nude vintage medical photographs fully expose the human condition and have become among the most valued of historic medical photographs. The implications for the future treatment of nude medical photography is well established. The passage of time, nostalgia, and, most importantly, the attempt to learn the secrets of life and means of death in past epochs will result in preserving and valuing these most important clinical photographs.