A Catalog of Disease from My Local Hospital
Health care systems create their own media and it is always interesting to me to see how disease, and what helps disease (according to them), is portrayed.
 I just received a “magalog” (combo magazine and catalog) from my local health care system here in Southern New Jersey.
The pictures of the diseases and elements of disease (breast biopsies, varicose veins, cancer, arthritis) portrays vibrant people and photos that most people can relate to - smiles, flowers, arms up in the air. . . .implying that it is the norm, that disease can and will happen to you, you can almost expect it, these things happen to everyone, you will get something on the menu of life’s physical problems.
They set up the readers to expect it. Good marketing.
But what really interested me is that the photos of all of the physicians that they have sprinkled throughout the magalog - the disease specialists at their hospital. The photos are in black and white with a darkened shadow on one side of their face - very mysterious (one or two might have a smile on their face).
What is this message? That these docs are totally separate from real vibrant life. . .not part of who we are -almost inhuman - and void of possibilities of “contracting” these diseases themselves.  But thank goodness they are there to assist in removing any of our body parts that may go awry.
Seems so archaic to me. . . . .
 . . .that’s my rant for the month, thanks for listenting 