Moral Judgment in Evaluating Disease: Some Pictures for Discussion
Le Célèbre Gargantua
Le Célèbre Gargantua, c.1840, Stencil colored woodcut, Published by Pellerin in Epinal. France, Gift of Anthony Van Waganen, 1979, collection of Gertrude van Wagenen
This 35 year old man presented with a 2 day history of fever and right foot pain with accompanying redness and swelling. He denies chills, purulent drainage, cuts, bites, or scratches. His medical history includes recently diagnosed uncontrolled diabetes mellitus, and hyperlipidemia. On exam, he is morbidly obese but in no acute distress. He reports daily alcohol consumption with a glass of wine every night and denies smoking.
Gargantua was a fictional character from Francois Rabelais’ 16th century novel pentalogy titled The Life of Gargantua and of Pantagruel whose popularity was centered upon its liberal use of satire, absurdity, and crude humor. The print is one of the many images of Epinal, a collection of popular prints produced by Jean-Charles Pellerin and later by his company. The low cost prints provided a broad population with stories and news, visualizing historic events, classics, and other entertainments.