Upplyft på väggen

Upplyft på väggen (Carers on the Pedestal) presents portraits of physicians and head nurses from the collections of the HUS Helsinki University Hospital and the University of Helsinki Faculty of Medicine. The extensive collections comprise nealy 400 portraits painted in various periods by artists including Akseli Gallen-Kallela, Albert Edelfelt, Eero Järnefelt, Kuutti Lavonen and Marjatta Tapiola. A selection of 60 portraits are highlighted in the book. The detailed introduction sheds light on the medical symbols appearing in the portraits while also taking an intriguing look at the history of physician portraiture throughout the ages, from Hippocrates and Napoleon’s personal physician to Sigmund Freud and Che Guevara.

The book was co-authored by art historian Markku Valkonen and orthopaedist Seppo Seitsalo. The Finnish version appeared in 2020 and is still available.