Medical photography
![G.-B. Duchanne de Boulogne, Synoptic plate 4 from Le Mécanisme de la Physionomie Humaine. 1862, albumen print. In the upper row and the lower two rows, patients with different expressions on either side of their faces](/Images/godic/202501/26/Duchenne-FacialExpressions0628.jpg")
![Photo from the book, Shooting Soldiers: Civil War Medical Photography by Dr. R. B. Bontecou. Written by Dr. Stanley B. Burns, Published by Burns Archive Press. This photograph depicts G. Porubsky, Co B. 46th NY volunteer displaying excision of the humerus. This photograph from Bontecou's teaching album shows the drawn-in suspected path of the bullet. Bontecou's operation of bone removal in the upper arm left the patient with a useless limb. Many were amputated in the antiseptic era of the 1880s.](/Images/godic/202501/26/The_Burns_Archive,_Shooting_Soldiers,_Civil_War_Medical_Photography_by_Dr._R.B._Bontecou0628.jpg")
Medical Photography is a specialized area of photography that concerns itself with the documentation of the clinical presentation of patients, medical and surgical procedures, medical devices and specimens from autopsy. The practice requires a high level of technical skill to present the photograph free from misleading information that may cause misinterpretation. The photographs are used in clinical documentation, research, publication in scientific journals and teaching.