Moral Judgment in Evaluating Disease: Some Pictures for Discussion

Waiting

Waiting, 1937, Hyman Katz U.S.A.( born Poland) 1899-1988, Lithograph, Purchased through the John F. Fulton Fund 2011

This 35 year old woman with a history of major depression presents with a ten pound weight gain for the past five months. She switched her SSRI medication six months ago to better manage refractory depressive symptoms. Her mood has been minimally impacted by her new SSRI medication and she reports depressed mood and occasional suicidal ideation. She reports one glass of alcohol per evening each week and denies smoking and illicit drug use.

Largely ignored by art critics on account of his humble origins and subject material, New York City artist Hyman Katz found support from the New Deal’s Federal Art Project. Katz’s work gained critical acclaim late in his career, when prevailing tastes came to appreciate the power of the sabulous simplicity that characterized much of his work. Here, he depicts a woman lost in thought, passing time with the help of hard alcohol and a cigarette. Through the woman’s expression, sparse surroundings, and the piece’s title, Katz invokes the forlorn sense of helplessness that so often accompanies waiting.