Chest 75; Wing of Fire
The person whose X-ray appears here was unfortunate enough to have an autoimmune condition – Wegener’s Syndrome. The name itself is disapproved of. Wegener who described the condition in 1936 was known to be a follower of the Nazi regime. He worked close to the genocide machinery at Lodz, was wanted by the Polish authorities, and investigated by the UN War Crimes Commission. There is a strong move to change the name.
This is a disfiguring vasculitis affecting nose and mouth, kidneys, lungs. Before introduction of steroid treatment it was universally fatal within months. After that cyclophosphamide treatment was a major breakthrough giving an average five year survival, though treatment can still be problematic.
The X-ray image here is broken into several components which do not overlap exactly. The outlines break up like molten lead spilled on the ground. It overlies a pine forest through which the colours of a spirit-like shape can be seen flowing to the foreground. At the front the sun breaks through the shadows highlighting the pine needles over the region of the heart.
Fantastic.
You are very kind, thanks for stopping by. Tony
Horrible past… but very inviting comp…. I see a flower garden in Venice or Paris.
Thanks for the comment Mike, I am always fascinated by people’s interpretation of the images. Tony
it is hard to read the stories of the individuals and their struggle with disease…however…you transform their suffering into beautiful works of art…awe inspiring…