The best storytellers and presenters know that a picture is worth a thousand words. Pictures simplify stories. They make stories memorable. They clarify complex concepts and they educate the audience in the easiest way. That is why attorneys work with artists—medical illustrators, to be exact.
Injury Illustrated is the first book of its kind. It is the essential guide on medical illustrations used in the legal context. This book examines the creation of visual graphics known as demonstrative exhibits. These exhibits provide an understanding of traumatic injuries, surgeries, and radiology studies for the jury, judges, adjustors, mediators, and the attorneys. These chapters describe how to tell a clear story about gross anatomy, medical malpractice, and/or death investigation in court by using medical images. While medical illustration and injury law are very different professions, illustrators are the ideal partners for lawyers when solving problems and preparing for litigation.
Divided into five sections, this book details who medical illustrators are, how they are educated in medicine, the skills and services they can provide to trial lawyers, and the countless benefits resulting from record review and case preparation.
Find techniques to best use medical images during all stages of litigation
Learn how graphic exhibits engage a jury and empower justice
Understand why attorneys win more cases by collaborating with medical illustrators
All readers will learn about this unique career and the attorney-illustrator relationship. More specifically, attorneys, artists, animators, law students, medical students, forensic scientists, and medical experts will understand how demonstrative exhibits assist legal proceedings in forensic matters and civil lawsuits.
Warning; these images will be graphic and the cases at times will be catastrophic.
Chapter 1 – Dominos: Warning: Graphic images. Chapter 2 – The Brief: The reason and the reasoning. Section A – Who am I? The beginning of a medical illustrator. Chapter 3 – You’re Grounded: Growing up with anatomy. Chapter 4 – Suspicious Minds: Seeking the truth. Chapter 5 – Bunny Suit: A background in forensics. Section B – Who are we? The unknown world of medical illustration. Chapter 6 – Disgusta: Medical illustration master’s degree. Chapter 7 – Stars Are Born: Products of our professors. Chapter 8 – Sutured Together: Learning surgery. Chapter 9 – History of the Association: Foundations of medical art and law. Section C – Why would an attorney hire a medical illustrator? Chapter 10 – Pantyhose: Inside the law firm. Chapter 11 - Message in a Bottle: A settlement brochure. Chapter 12 – Hondas: Profits over people. Chapter 13 - The Process: Draw by hand. Chapter 14 - Wile E. Coyote: Real people. Chapter 15 – Tin Cans: Voluminous records. Chapter 16 – Can’t Trust a Photo: But request them all. Chapter 17 – Interpreting Radiology: Images establish facts. Chapter 18 – Radiology Is Not Enough: The jury needs clarification. Chapter 19 – Netflix: The jury wants TV. Chapter 20 – Muddy Waters: Aberrant anatomy. Chapter 21 – Healing Trauma: The client is better. Chapter 22 – Bad Facts: The client is a stripper. Chapter 23 – No Facts: The lawyer didn’t ask. Chapter 24 – Pre-Trial Panic: Last minute animations. Chapter 25 – Six Degrees of Separation: Experts and animators. Section D – What additional benefits does an attorney get from collaboration with a medical illustrator? Chapter 26 – Boutique Feel: Not just a product but a service. Chapter 27 – It’s Not Rocket Science: Narrating brain surgery. Chapter 28 – Headless Horseman: The value of the client likeness. Chapter 29 – Defending Doctors: Medical malpractice defense. Chapter 30 – Deep Pockets: What will this cost? Chapter 31 – MVP: Minimum viable product. Chapter 32 – Pancakes: Food analogies. Chapter 33 – Out of the Box: Creative alternatives. Chapter 34 – Power Tools: Anything it takes. Chapter 35 – Holograms: Advances in technology. Chapter 36 – Exhibit Hall: Building connections. Section E – The closing argument for evoking emotion. Chapter 37 – The Wall: Between our warm hearts and our dark minds. Chapter 38 – Gross: The specter versus the science. Chapter 39 – Pin the Tail on the Donkey: To show or not to show the genitalia. Chapter 40 – Perfect Data: A picture is worth a thousand words.
Biography
R. Annie Gough, MS, CMI: With a background in autopsy forensics and almost 20 years of professional medical legal illustration experience, Annie Gough brings light to a little-known and fascinating industry. Annie is a certified medical illustrator and demonstrative exhibit consultant known for her creativity and passion. Receiving her Masters in Medical Illustration from the Medical College of Georgia, Annie entered the medical legal community 2001. She is the owner of agillustrations in Denver, Colorado, she is a visiting professor to St. George’s University, and she often lectures on medical illustration, civil injury cases, and visual storytelling.
