Moral Judgment in Evaluating Disease: Some Pictures for Discussion

Psychopathic Ward

Psychopathic Ward, 1940, Riggs, Robert U.S.A. 1896-1970, Lithograph, Bequest of Clements C. Fry 1955

This 25 year old woman presents with increased hyperkinesia, impulsivity, and combativeness. Her family reports increased hallucinations and disorganized speech. Symptom management has been effective with antipsychotic medication for the past 5 years, though her current symptom presentation suggests she may benefit from adding a second antipsychotic medication.  

American lithographer Robert Riggs was commissioned by Philadelphia-based pharmaceutical company Smith, Kline, and French to capture the conditions of medical facilities for the insane. His works were reproduced and given to physicians across the nation, serving as both a chastisement of current medical protocols for the insane and a call for further innovation in the field (a charge that Smith, Kline, and French intended to lead).