#PathArt: from glass slide to canvas; with a mission of enlightening the burdens of life

Abstract

Pathology requires visual aptitude, pattern, and color recognition as a medical specialty. This can account for the growing PathArt (or #PathArt via social media, or SoMe) movement. For the purpose of this review, the authors define PathArt as any form of art inspired by pathology topics, such as microscopic images (i.e. surgical histology, cytology, hematology, immunohistochemistry), gross pathology, and clinical pathology (including molecular/genetics). Pathologists are well-versed in the use of hashtags and commonly utilize them to tag relevant medical topics to share with colleagues through online platforms, such as Twitter (renamed X in 2023). As the professional laboratory network has expanded virtually, artists within the community have emerged and shared numerous pathology artworks. However, displaying pathology as “beautiful” art pieces gives rise to concerns over portraying cancer light-heartedly given the humanity of disease. For this review, we discuss the history of art and medicine, pathology as a visual and creative specialty, explore the conceptual framework of the hashtag #PathArt is associated with sharing pathology-related art on SoMe, and address the psychological and medico-legal implications that surround PathArt. This article is intended to provide a guide to fostering PathArt and #PathArt in an ethical and positive manner. References were obtained via qualitative review of non-peer-reviewed and peer-reviewed literature pertinent to this topic.