From sickly Tiny Tim in Charles Dickens's A Christmas Carol to the disfigured character in the movie The Elephant Man, illness and its consequences have preoccupied writers, painters, and filmmakers. The Literature, Arts, and Medicine Database aims to help students use these works to understand disease, health care, and the social issues they raise.

The site from the New York University School of Medicine catalogs hundreds of films, paintings, novels, and other titles with medical connections. Tuberculosis, AIDS, and mental illness have drawn plenty of interest over the years; diabetes and arthritis, much less. Commentaries by guest scholars elucidate works such as Vincent van Gogh's painting of the mental asylum where he spent much of his final year of life. The barren hallway--the only figure is fleeing--reflects his isolation during his illness.

Volume 316, Number 5832, Issue of 22 June 2007