Ciléin Kearns
@artibiotics
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Dr & Medical Illustrator exploring health, disease, and care with artibiotics. Assoc Editor/Medical Illustration for @Radiographics #scicomm #graphicMedicine
New Zealand
Joined May 2011
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Where does medical illustration fit in Radiology, the imaging speciality? A short piece I wrote and illustrated for
@RadioGraphics
:
@cookyscan1
#radres
#radiology
#graphicMedicine
#scicomm
#medicalillustration
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Hyperkalaemia
#ECG
changes animated. This is a life-saving opportunity if you can catch it!
#FOAMed
#EKG
#Cardiology
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My thesis ‘Can comics support healthcare & research?’. The research & art can be seen here: The book is a personal copy to celebrate years of work, but one day I’d love to publish accessible art filled books!
#graphicmedicine
#scicomm
@ClinResearchNZ
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'The 6 F's' - causes of abdominal swelling; an illustrated differential diagnosis. My art lives at:
#MedTwitter
#FOAMed
#medicalart
#medicalillustration
#scicomm
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Ecorché is the art of drawing anatomy with the skin removed. For this medical illustration I took photos of my hands and manipulated them as a basis for an
#ecorche
to explain a
#pathology
. Can you tell what the disease is yet?
#anatomy
#scicomm
#anatomyart
#medtwitter
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#Endometriosis
is a common inflammatory disease that can be incredibly painful and reduce fertility.
Avg time to Dx is about 8 years - something that needs to change. Too many have their symptoms and experiences dismissed + we need better care.
#FOAMed
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Joining the medical illustrators sharing art re:
#artistsOnTwitter
Feel free to join in!
A few med artists worth following:
@Camp_Illustrate
@CaitlinMonney
@Camp_Illustrate
@ladvic
@PeterMLawrence1
#medTwitter
#sciComm
#medicalArt
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Causes of abdominal pain: an illustrated differential diagnosis. Designed for my new Artibiotics article:
#EmergencyMedicine
#FOAMed
#MedEd
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The next illustrated ddx in my Medical Mentalism series: causes of
#headache
. Read the full article here: Thank you to all who support my art and help keep this independent project alive!
#medicalmentalism
#ddxillustrated
#artibiotics
#scicomm
#medtwitter
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#Preeclampsia
is characterised by high blood pressure and leaking protein in urine during
#pregnancy
, and can become life-threatening for both mum & baby.
If you've had it, what would you like medics to know? Medics-how would you explain it to patients?
#obstetrics
#medtwitter
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How to control a major bleed - a comic I designed for
#KnifeSavers
, a UK-based charity training members of the public how to control major bleeding, in response to escalating knife crime in some cities.
Learn more:
#graphicmedicine
#caretoon
#caretoons
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Hi, I'm Ciléin - a doctor and freelance medical illustrator drawing from a background in video games dev to explore health & disease. Check out my portfolio: and Patreon:
#portfolioday
#scicomm
#sciart
#healthcare
#medicine
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The Circle of Willis - a vital blood supply to the brain. In med school we were shown a lot of schematic diagrams which (while helpful) lose the relationship of this beautiful structure to the brain.
#brain
#anatomy
#neurosurgery
Prints available here:
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Causes of limb swelling, my new illustrated differential diagnosis:
#FOAMed
#medicine
#ddx
#artibiotics
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A peek at my process to design this illustration of
#preeclampsia
. I really enjoy having the creative freedom to explore the science of health & disease in my own odd way. If you'd like to support my independent art, take a look at <3
#caretoon
#scicomm
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Causes of bilateral limb swelling, an illustrated differential diagnosis! If you'd like to support me illustrating medicine, consider a coffee membership to the Scrub Club on Patreon ()
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Discs are rubbery shock absorbers sandwiched between vertebrae. Disc prolapse is when their jelly-like center bursts out which can put pressure on nerves. Surgery may help some but other treatment options include medication & physio. Made to support a video by
@realbrainbook
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Chest pain: an illustrated ddx. One of the most important symptoms for
#medics
to interpret quickly, do you know them all? . The
#MedicalMentalism
series is supported by my awesome Patrons: the
#ScrubClub
.
#FOAMed
#emergencymedicine
#medtwitter
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It's
#sciartportfolioweek
! Today I'm sharing some of my
#medicalillustration
for
#reconstructivesurgery
publications, a creative medical field I find utterly fascinating. Folio:
#surgicalillustration
#medicalart
#Medtwitter
#scicomm
#anatomyart
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As much as I enjoy painting in colour, there is something magical about creating Medical Illustration with traditional tools. I'd love to illustrate a book in
#graphite
! Folio:
#SciArtPortfolioWeek
#scicomm
#medicalillustration
#anatomyart
#MedTwitter
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Welcome to 2019! Here is "Heartwave" - an editorial illustration on the theme of heart failure and the complications of fluid overload that result from it.
#cardiac
#heartfailure
#anatomy
#editorialart
#sciart
#illustration
#cardiology
#2019
#NewYearsDay
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Mpox symptoms and complications, from a new case monograph from the cooky jar
@CasesCookyJar
@RadioGraphics
#MedTwitter
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All my medical art begins with drawing. I'll usually re-draw my idea several times, refining it until it's ready to paint. It's a fun stage where meaning first appears from your marks. Can you figure out what pathology I'm drawing here?
#medtwitter
#anatomy
#scicomm
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Cranioplasty is a surgery to repair a hole in the skull that is left after a previous operation or injury. A peek at art I designed for a collab w/
@realbrainbook
, kindly supported by
@OssDsign
. Check it out here:
#neurosurgery
#brainsurgery
#medtwitter
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Somatisation is the manifestation of psychological distress in physical symptoms. Our mental state has a lot of power to create real symptoms like nausea, diarrhoea, pain and breathlessness. Have you heard any helpful explanations of somatisation?
#caretoon
#scicomm
#medtwitter
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Cardiac tamponade results when extra material e.g. blood accumulates between the heart and its fibrous covering, the pericardium. The pressure crushes the heart, reducing its ability to pump blood until it arrests.
#FOAMed
#sciart
#anatomy
#scicomm
#EmergencyMedicine
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Skull and brain in a classical style of medical illustration. I wanted to try something a little different with this one..
#anatomy
#anatomyart
#medicalillustration
#Neurosurgery
#ink
#inktober
#Inktober2019
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Causes of haematuria (blood in the urine) - an illustrated differential diagnosis. I'm creating these for important causes of common symptoms; you can check out the project at and support via
#medtwitter
#scicomm
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Signs of circulatory failure. Excerpts from a series of
#Paediatrics
#EmergencyMedicine
illustrations I've had a great time working on over the past few months. No kids or kidneys were harmed in the making of this :-)
#emergencymedicine
#medtwitter
#cardiac
#scicomm
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Medical illustration showing the anatomic layer gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GIST) arise from, and features that may be noticed in scans. Published in
@RadioGraphics
@CasesCookyJar
#medicalArt
#medicalIllustration
#radiology
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Superficial nerve
#anatomy
for a skin surgery tutorial demonstrating how to find these nerves using surface landmarks - an important as they affect facial expression, speech, and oral continence!
#medicalillustration
#medicalart
#anatomyart
#medtwitter
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Headaches are very common. While most are mild, short-lived, and require no treatment, others can be debilitating, and a few need urgent intervention to prevent disability and death.
See more causes of
#headache
in my illustrated article:
#medtwitter
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My
#bestnine2019
. These aren't my most popular pieces, but the ones where I feel I experimented and achieved something new while creating them... Thank you for the love and support throughout the year. Wishing you a lovely end to 2019!
#medtwitter
#scicomm
#sciart
#top9
#best9
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We may be seeing a lot more masks in public in the coming months (and maybe years) until a vaccine is widely available. Here's a comic about the options.
Full comic:
Support:
#covid19
#medtwitter
#masks
#caretoon
#scicomm
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Designed to support research & education on
#Sjogrens
syndrome - a condition where your immune system attacks the cells that make tears and saliva, resulting in dry eyes and mouth, and often wider effects like fatigue and recurrent chest infections
#rheumatology
#medtwitter
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Time lapse painting
#RheumatoidArthritis
for a research paper. You invest a lot of life into each illustration, but then they can live on to help many more people... I feel very lucky to be able to share medicine with art!
#ortho
#MedTwitter
#arthritis
#scicomm
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It's
#sciartportfolioweek
- a lovely excuse to celebrate, RT, and show some love to the artists crafting how we see science! You can see more of my Medical Illustration at
#medicalillustration
#medicalart
#Medtwitter
#scicomm
@GNSIorg
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An animated short comic about nerve injury for children and their parents learning about the condition. (1/7)
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An updated version of an illustration I haven't released on social media before. It was designed for
@realbrainbook
to support a video for patients that explained spinal anatomy and common pathology. You can watch the video here:
#neurosurgery
#anatomy
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Symptoms of Sjögren's syndrome - where your immune system attacks the cells that make tears and saliva, causing dry eyes and mouth. Created to support research and education on the disease, while promoting awareness and empathy for those suffering.
#sjogrens
#medtwitter
#FOAMed
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Could comics be the best way to share healthcare research? A thread about this
#scicomm
#graphicMedicine
paper published in
@jviscomm
:
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Today I'm sharing some Editorial
#medicalillustration
for
#sciartportfolioweek
. It's always a treat to explore healthcare themes conceptually! Can you guess any of the themes? Folio:
#editorialart
#editorialillustration
#sciart
#scicomm
#MedicalArt
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'Christmas disease' was named after the first patient in which it was reported rather than the season. That doesn't stop me from using the misnomer to help remember the features with this little holiday elf.
#haemophilia
#haemophiliaB
#MedTwitter
#scicomm
#artibiotics
#medicalArt
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Cover illustration for a doctor's PhD thesis. She was investigating children's bone mineral density in health and disease. I wanted to help set the context for the research, and inspire curiosity to discover her findings!
#anatomyart
#anatomy
#coverart
#SciArt
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Bullae are air blisters in the lungs seen in
#COPD
as healthy tissue is destroyed. They crush remaining functional lung, and are prone to popping, causing pneumothorax (air leak) inside the chest. The mass of this can crush the heart & lungs until they arrest.
#FOAMed
#emphysema
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The pattern of clinical signs in hyperthyroidism (eg Grave's disease). From my 'medical mentalism’ series about the art of interpreting clinical signs, which is supported by coffee from the wonderful Scrub Club on Patreon: .
#medtwitter
#graves
#thyroid
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Stay safe out there (at home), flatten the curve and save lives! <3 Thanks to my lovely wife for her input and pushing me to finish this!
This, and my other caretoons live at:
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Surgeons seem to draw a lot but there’s little in the literature about it. I dug into this mysterious practice... this paper is the result:
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Anatomy of the Easter Bunny. I hope you all have a safe and lovely day today regardless if you celebrate this holiday :-) Take care!
#Easter
#NZEasterChoc
#anatomy
#EasterBunny
#chocolate
#medtwitter
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Circle of Willis inspired character design for a Neurocritical Care unit. This little guy was fun to make! Can any
#anatomy
buffs notice the artistic liberties I took?
#sciart
#anatomyart
#Neurosurgery
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Distal brachial artery perforator flap used to rebuild a finger post traumatic ring avulsion. ie some bone, skin, and fat w/blood supply & drainage, taken from the elbow to rebuild a finger, that was lost when a ring snagged & pulled it off. Surgeons are amazing.
#plasticsurgery
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New paper exploring why and estimating how many doctors draw in their clinical practice in Aotearoa (NZ):
#scicomm
#graphicMedicine
#medTwitter
@jviscomm
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I use different styles depending on the message of my medical illustrations. Which styles and media do you most like to see medicine explained with?
#4styles
#anatomy
#scicomm
#medtwitter
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#Atheroma
is the build-up of fatty deposits in the walls of arteries. These plaques narrow blood vessels & restrict flow. If they crack, they can release fatty materials & trigger a clot which may block the vessel entirely.
#pathology
#cardiology
#heartHealth
#medicalArt
#scicomm
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When blood sugar gets too low (hypoglycemia) or high (hyperglycemia) this can trigger a headache or migraine. Although it's well-recognised, I couldn't find a mechanism for this; if you know/have theories I'd be interested!
#diabetes
#bloodsugar
#medtwitter
#Endocrinology
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A close-up peek at a cover illustration I'm working on.. Who knows all their carpals?
#anatomy
#scicomm
#medicalillustration
#medicalart
#medtwitter
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I submitted a new paper this week - making it to stage 6 of my
#tbt
comic is always a mix of elation and exhaustion. If you're writing something - what stage are you right now?
#writingtip
#Writers
#essay
#medtwitter
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Neural tissue in teratomas can trigger an immune response against NMDA receptors in the brain, causing neurological & psychiatric symptoms. Removing the teratoma can potentially fully reverse symptoms.
From our new
@CasesCookyJar
case
#graphicMedicine
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Art created for (and thanks to)
@TJQPNI
to share info about brachial plexus injury and repair with patients and their parents in a more approachable way.
#erbspalsy
#erbspalsyawareness
#brachialplexus
#scicomm
#medicalArt
#artibiotics
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Cranioplasty is a surgery to repair a hole in the skull left after a previous operation/injury. Here's a comic to show how it works! I'll be exploring more clinical uses for comics in 2020 so follow along if that's your cup of tea!
#neurosurgery
#brainsurgery
#medtwitter
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A postural headache is a common symptom following a lumbar puncture. This can change the CSF pressure, causing pain when the meninges stretch on standing. From my illustrated ddx series supported by coffee via Patreon!
#anatomy
#lumbarpuncture
#anatomyart
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Happy Easter!
#Easter
#anatomy
#radtwitter
#radiology
#medicalart
#medicalillustration
#FOAMed
#FOAMrad
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In a cervical fusion surgery,
#Neurosurgeon
's have to avoid damaging the spine and vertebral artery when drilling screws. Kudos to their steady hands! Art for
@realbrainbook
and I's Kickstarter collab: Fixing a broken neck - coming soon!
#neurosurgery
#trauma
#FOAMed
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I’m chasing a thread that crosses a few fields; I’m not sure where it leads but am enjoying carving out a path while chasing that passion.
#sameArtist
#MedTwitter
#SciComm
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Close-up of some cover art I'm working on. Have you any idea what the theme will be?
#CoverArt
#anatomy
#anatomyart
#SciArt
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A guide to working with illustrators to visualise research - a graphic summary from the awesome people at
@smcnz
that I helped illustrate with
@XTOTL
,
@izzyjoyart
,
@EzraWhittaker
and more.
#scicomm
#graphicmedicine
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Signs of respiratory distress. Excerpts from a series of Paediatric Emergency Medicine illustrations I've been working on over the past few months.
#paediatrics
#medtwitter
#emergencymedicine
#graphicmedicine
#scicomm
#medicalillustration
#caretoons
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A little comic about
#asthma
. If you have had an asthma attack - how would you describe the feeling? The human context of illness is often lost in teaching materials - I think it would be helpful for
#medtwitter
to hear more real experiences.
#caretoon
#graphicmedicine
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"The Circle of Life" - 6x6 inches, graphite. On a macro and microscopic level, in isolation and in context, in structure and in function - the brain is a breath-taking organ (literally). What anatomy blows your mind?
#neurosurgery
#brainsurgery
#anatomy
#anatomyart
#graphite
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Manifestations of Cowden syndrome AKA PTEN hamartoma tumor syndrome - illustrated for a
@CasesCookyJar
article published in RadioGraphics:
#radiology
#radres
#medicalArt
#graphicMedicine
#scicomm
@PBalthazarMD
@Klonmich
@cookyscan1
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The brachial plexus - an important network of nerves which innervates most of the arms muscles. Understanding the anatomy is useful for medics e.g. to assess injuries or block the nerves temporarily for arm surgery.
#graphite
#anatomy
#anatomyart
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Important
#clinicalsigns
not to miss when reviewing an unwell child, often found during the 'E' (exposure) part of an ABCDE review. From a series of
#paediatrics
#emergencymedicine
illustrations that I've been working on.
#medtwitter
#scicomm
#caretoons
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A (rejected) Cover Illustration Test for a medical journal - a healthy experience for any designer, and I am lucky enough to have enjoyed and learned from the experience. My Patrons can see behind the scenes on the design process: <3
#Patreon
#medicalart
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Destruction of the knee joint in advanced osteoarthritis. I wanted to show the significant changes in advanced disease to help set the context for why pain relief and good management is so important for these patients.
#scicomm
#anatomy
#orthopedics
#medtwitter
#FOAMed
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Drawing some
#neuroanatomy
and really appreciating the design of this beautiful cradle for our mind...
#brain
#neurosurgery
#brainsurgery
#anatomy
#anatomyart
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#medicalillustration
showing what happens in the small airways to make breathing difficult during an
#asthma
attack. These tubes swell with inflammation, fill with sticky mucous, and smooth muscle spasms - a triple whammy reducing air flow!
#scicomm
#pathology
#asthmaAwareness
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Joint destruction in advanced
#RheumatoidArthritis
. I designed these illustrations to support a paper on pain management strategies. Showing healthy anatomy makes pathological change more apparent, and I think helps us empathise better with patients.
#arthritis
#scicomm
#anatomy
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Endosalpingiosis - a rare benign condition leading to cysts lined with fallopian-tube-line epithelium. Designed for a new visual article initiative led by
@cookyscan1
for
@RadioGraphics
Case:
#radiology
#radpath
#radres
#medicalimaging
#scicomm
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#Hypothyroidism
- one of the potential causes of headache. A close-up for my next illustrated differential diagnosis exploring the causes of headache! You can catch new art early and support the series with coffee on Patreon:
#thyroid
#endocrine
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A pathology comic about how Congenital Adrenal Hyperplasia (CAH) develops. Illustrated for an article published in
@RadioGraphics
on the appearance of this condition in clinical imaging:
#radres
#radiology
#scicomm
#graphicMedicine
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My somatisation
#caretoon
at an earlier stage where you can still see my red initial sketch. I actually prefer this to the colour version (swipe to see), which do you like best?
#graphicmedicine
#scicomm
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Fibrous pseudotumours are rare benign lesions that arise from reactive proliferation of inflammatory & fibrous tissues. They are important to recognise as the testicle can often be spared when excising. For a new publication in
@RadioGraphics
:
#radiology
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A
#cartoon
showing how a
#surgeon
might draw to help explain surgery to remove cancer of the food pipe to a patient. From a new paper about drawing and using other visual materials to help patients make informed decisions re:
#surgery
. Link:
#medtwitter
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It's interesting to see how your work changes over time. Here's some of my recent art :-)
#artvsartist2020
#medtwitter
#scicomm
#caretoons
#medicalart
#medicalillustration
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1. What pathology am I painting? 2. What features can you see? Note - it's still a work in progress!
#medtwitter
#scicomm
#emergencymedicine
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Hand anatomy has got to be one of my favourite things to draw and paint! Do you have a favourite structure?
#anatomy
#scicomm
#medicalart
#medicalillustration
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“What 500 years of medical illustration has taught us about the human body” - a peek into the history of my field!
#scicomm
#sciart
#anatomy
#medtwitter
#historyofmedicine
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