F R O M T H E P U B LIS H ER
COVID 19’s Silver Lining PHYSICIANS ARE RISING FOR JUSTICE IN MEDICINE
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Wri t t en by D r. Ma rl ene Wu st- S mi t h
onths ago when we launched Physician Outlook I made the decision that the cover art will always be an original work created by physicians. Our first cover featured an eye-catching image (no pun intended) of a surgeon that was digitally mastered by Dr. Dana Corriel, the creator and founder of SoMeDocs. The cover of our second issue was inspired and created under my direction and features Obamaesque renditions of real physicians in personal protective equipment (PPE), inspired by the ridiculous fiasco of our nation’s hospitals not having enough PPE for their workforce. 2 | A P RI L / M AY 2 0 2 0
The cover of the current issue is titled “Justice in Medicine” and was painted on canvas by Dr. Douna Montazer, a board-certified psychiatrist who dreams of making a difference in healthcare through her work. She is a self-taught artist who uses painting to represent the emotions being experienced by patients and physicians. In the meticulously detailed painting on the cover she cleverly depicts the Caduceus (the universal symbol of healing) as a woman (Lady Justice) in place of the usual central wand or staff. She is an angelic figure dressed in white, who is weighted down by a heavy anchor, but is in the process of being freed by heavenly doves.
Every time I look at this masterpiece I see another detail that provokes thought and inspires reflection. It is subject to interpretation and to the viewer’s eye whether this lady in white represents a patient or a doctor. In my mind’s eye she represents a bound and gagged version of myself, a physician who loves her profession and her patients but whose voice and vision has been quieted and blinded by outside forces. Conversely, the non-medical person identifies Lady Justice as a patient whose vision is blocked by the blue serpent that represents the corporatization of medicine, and whose voice is being silenced
