Toxic Portraits

TOXIC PORTRAITS is a first-of-its-kind experiment that combines science and art to demonstrate gout’s corrosive damage using the very substance that causes it, uric acid. Custom uric acid mixtures were created, based on the amounts found in 3 patients’ bloodstreams. Then, in a new spin on an old printmaking tradition, the uric acid mixtures were used to create etchings that were so corrosive they ate through copper plates. The plates were then pressed to create illustrations in 3 different styles so doctors could come face to face with the toxic nature of the disease.