HEART ART
There was a recent interview with Dr. David Katz who co-wrote the book “How To Eat”. He promotes “lifestyle medicine”. He worked as a relief support to the doctors in a NYC hospital and described the speed of symptoms and quick spread of Covid-19. He also mentioned the high risks of the slow — yet inevitable results of heart problems.
Back in the ‘80s, I was given the assignment for the following illustrations to show the “good” and the “bad” in caring for one’s heart. Dr. C. Everett Koop was the US Surgeon General in the years: 1982 – – 1989 and the following was the plan for a “Special Program Co-Sponsored by AMA, ACC and NHLBI”.*
*The American Medical Association (founded in 1847), the American College of Cardiology (1949) and the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (1948).
“Operation High Risk Recue” was “A National Physicians’ Crusade for Immediate Action on High Cholesterol Patients With Heart Disease and Multiple Risks”. This campaign was directed to all physicians with patients seeking help.
I was freelancing with VICOM ASSOCIATES at 901 Battery Street, SF. I was asked by their creative director, Lester Barnett to be inspired for my art style by Geoffrey Moss, the political illustrator. My art tool was a black marker; so I was not able replicate the crisp pen and ink lines from the deft hand of Mr. Moss. I never did know what written copy or other elements completed this production:
Another “heart” assignment was in 1990 for the new partnership of Vicom / FCB. The job was for a Genentech Family Day — Saturday, Sept. 15, 1990. The project was an educational set of three large printed sheets for youths to learn the parts of the heart and the action of blood in the heart. The instructions were given to use certain colors to fill in areas to make it all easy to understand.
I’m not a kid, but after all these years, I decided that I’d color these up. I actually have a newish box of Crayola Crayons and my Prismacolor pencils. But now there is this Adobe Photoshop with colors and paint brush — right in front of me that I could use.
This is – a good way of learning these areas and actions of the heart!
I show a 4‑page layout for Genentech, Inc. My “go to” method for quick layouts was sketching the subject with Berol Prismacolor pencils smeared with a tissue with “Bestine” thinner (I was warned to wear gloves or wash hand immediately but who had time?) and highlighted with white drawing ink in a ruling pen. The 4th page of the layout had red marker added. The 2‑page ad was published in a Medical Journal—the back page shows a 1989 copyright.
I have no knowledge of how layouts are created now, when the computer has replace the drawing board.
Heart disease is still the top worldwide health risk — where the source begins within the patient – – inherited, a birth defect or the result of a personal lifestyle. The exception – – is an outside exposure, like Covid-19, that stresses the heart.
As it was in the past, the present virus pandemic risk – is where the source was (somewhere in the world) from just one individual’s occupation or lifestyle.
The virus can be from various living creatures (monkey, ape, bovine, avian, swine or — ?).
The animal that carries the virus “lives” with it. The virus evolves to adopt a new host, a human that tries to adjust to it and it spreads globally — Its genetic code mutates, evolving more as it travels. So viruses, too, have lifestyles.
Hopefully, more education of and attention to risky human “lifestyles” — will identify a virus when it has jumped to that first person — and isolate it immediately.
Ann Thompson