Cancer of the gall bladder in a 78-year old man with acute cholecystitis: stomach specimen showing (a) encompassing yellow tumour, (b) ball shaped growth in gall bladder and (c) a cholecysto-intestinal fistula, also infecting the gall bladder. Watercolour by Barbara E. Nicholson, 1953.

Ashford, Middlesex, 1953.

1 painting : watercolour, with gouache ; sheet 24.5 x 17.8 cm

Barbara Evelyn Nicholson (1906 – 1978) trained at the Royal College of Art, graduating in 1923. She began her artistic career as a medical illustrator and was a founder member of the Medical Artists Association, where she is recorded as serving on an exhibition committee in October 1949. By 1951, she had illustrated G.F. Gibberd, A short textbook of midwifery (2nd ed., London: J. & A. Churchill, 1941) and Philip Wiles, Essentials of orthopaedics (London: J. & A. Churchill, 1949). The Medical Artists Association records last list her, in 1951. In the 1950s her focus moved to botanical subjects and from the late 1950s – 1970s she was a prolific botanical illustrator.

Liver, common bile duct cut open, growth in gall bladder which has been cut open, fistula to gall bladder, pylorus, stomach, carcinoma of gall bladder with cholecysto-duodenal fistula Lettering inscribed in black ink as key, typed accompanying note with patient history explains that the persitance of a hard mass in the abdomen gave rise to suspicions of malignancy and examinations continually gave positive results for occult blood Bears number: 371/1953

The watercolours and pen and ink drawings held by Wellcome Collection were painted by Barbara Nicholson at Ashford Hospital, Ashford, Middlesex, between 1946 and 1951, at the request of the surgeon Norman Matheson.

Wellcome Collection 35009i

Presented to the Wellcome Institute Library in 1987 by Ashford Postgraduate Medical Centre, as part of a collection of medical illustrations by Barbara E. Nicholson.