Cover of Graphics, the journal of the Association of Medical Illustrators, 1947

The first journal of the Association of Medical Illustrators. Eleanor Sweezey was listed as an associate editor and submitted the following description of her work in Montreal: “In Canada the Department of Veterans Affaires has a considerably less extensive program for the development of medical art and photography than that undertaken by the Veterans Administration in the United States, and this is not surprising when the difference in population is considered. Only three D.V.A. hospitals have official departments of photography, two of which are combined with a department of art and are under the direction of a medical artist. One of these two departments is located at Christie Street Hospital in Toronto and is under the direction of Miss Agnes Roberge. The other is at the Queen Mary Veterans Hospital in Montreal. It is staffed by one motion picture photographer, three still photographers, a secretary and myself.

The medical art work consists largely of operating room work in neuro-surgery and plastic surgery with occasional operations for general surgery and other services. The first two, however, provide the most interesting work as there is a continuity and pattern to the group of drawings undertaken. An attempt is being made to compile illustrations of procedures which were developed during the war and which have not as yet been adequately illustrated. It has also fallen to my lot to paint irises for artificial eyes, but this is probably a temporary arrangement and will be taken over by technicians eventually. Occasionally moulages in plaster of faces, hands and feet are required as working models for splints or to show results of operations. So far there has been neither the time nor the demand and apart from the fact that there is more material than can be handled by one artist, it is hard to imaging a more congenial set-up.”