Photo book celebrates women in medicine

In dimly lit hospital corridors and glaringly bright operating rooms, two photographers with Leica cameras captured 105 stunning images in a new book titled “Women in Medicine: A Celebration of their Work” (Firefly Books, September 2004, $39.95 hardcover).

In one photo, a doctor lightly touches the face of an elderly man on life support. In another, a doctor places a newborn onto its mother’s chest.

Both photos are by Sandy Carter of Victoria, B.C. She and her colleague Ted Grant visited hospitals in five cities in both Canada and the United States. They spent long days for almost a year tagging along with doctors, nurses, physical therapists and other women healers.

“I found the women I encountered really gave of themselves and really demonstrated their compassion,” Carter said in a telephone interview. They were good listeners and hard workers, she said. Many were balancing their demanding work with family life at home.

Carter recalled the day she took the photo of Dr. Elisabeth Hagen quietly caring for an elderly man on life support.

“He was a patient who was on life support for quite some time,” Carter said. “What I see in the picture is what I saw then, a very compassionate young woman. I recall that she had a real difficult time dealing with patients that families kept on life support for so long. But that was part of the nature of the work she did.”

The childbirth photo features Dr. Beth Hardiman, who had spent 17 hours off and on with a woman in labor.

“She just went all day long and periodically checked the progression of the woman’s labor,” Carter said. After the birth, she told me, ‘That’s why I do what I do.’ “

The black-and-white photos are accompanied by quotes from Clara Barton, Florence Nightingale, Elizabeth Blackwell and other notable women. A foreword outlines the history of women in medicine.

None of the photos are posed; all were taken documentary-style as the women worked.

The Inland Northwest has thousands of women who work in health care. I’d guess that any one of them would enjoy “Women in Medicine” as a birthday or anniversary present.

Avoid scars

The Harvard Health Letter provides the following tips to minimize scarring.

• Avoid infection by keeping the wound clean and covered with a sterile bandage.

• Keep the wound moist. Soak dried scabs in warm, soapy water to help the scab fall off. Use an antibiotic ointment such as Bacitracin and cover with a bandage.

• Keep the scar moist. Aloe vera lotion can help reduce a scar’s redness. Vitamin E creams and oils can provide moisture, but have no other proven benefits.

• Gentle daily massage can promote healing and improve the scar’s ultimate appearance.

Magazine for caregivers

A free quarterly magazine for caregivers of people with Alzheimer’s disease and other dementia illnesses debuts this month.

It’s called “Vantage” and it’s produced by the Alzheimer’s Foundation of America. The first issue features professional advice on how caregivers can temporarily let go of their duties and enjoy a vacation.

To subscribe, e-mail your mailing address to vantage@mmhc.com.

Learn more at www.alzfdn.org.