This course explores how artists across centuries have documented, interpreted, and shaped society’s understanding of disease, healing, and human resilience. From prehistoric cave markings and medieval plague imagery to Renaissance anatomy studies and modern responses to pandemics, this two-session course traces how art has served as both witness and teacher in the story of public health.

Participants will discover how visual culture reveals the fears, hopes, and scientific advances of each era, offering a powerful lens into the evolving relationship between health, public health, and humanity.

Subject: art, history, health

Dr. James D. McGlothlin is a former U.S. Marine, a U.S. Public Health Service officer, and Professor Emeritus of Public Health at Purdue University, known nationally for his work in ergonomics and exposure assessment. His 22-year career with CDC/NIOSH and decades in academia have shaped his expertise in how environments influence human health. He also brings a lifelong appreciation for the arts, exploring how artists across history have interpreted disease, healing, and the human condition.

Michael Byington is the assisting instructor and a lifelong appreciator of the arts, shaped by a family rich in creativity and culture. He approaches art and history as intertwined narratives. Through this lens, he highlights how past societies visually expressed and understood their own struggles with health and illness.