• Perez Home
• Foreword
• Biographical Sketch- Jose Perez
• Table of Contents
•     A Day in the Hospital
•     The Allergist
•     The Alternative Practitioner
•     The Anesthesiologist
•     The Bureaucrats of Medicine
•     The Chiropractor
•     The Dentist
•     The Dermatologist
•     The Emergency Room
•     The Family Practitioner
•     The Internist
•     The Neurologist
•     The Nurse
•     The Obstetrician
•     The Opthalmologist
•     The Orthopedist
•     The Otorhinolaryngologist
•     The Pathologist
•     The Pediatrician
•     The Pharmcologist
•     The Plastic Surgeon
•     The Podiatrist
•     The Psychiatrist
•     The Public Health Doctor
•     The Radiologist
•     The Surgeon
•     The Urologist
•     The Veterinarian
•     A Day in Court
• Sketches in Pencil

The Obstetrician

The Obstetrican by Jose Perez
(Oil on Canvas, 24 in x 30 in, 61.5 cm x 77 cm)

Copyright: This image may not be saved locally, modified, reproduced, or distributed by any other means without the written permission of the copyright owners.

Perez based this work on the supposition that an unborn baby inside its mother's womb can hear everything that's going on outside. If this is true, this baby was well-informed. Note that he offers a flag of surrender to the doctor, but, just in case things don't go well, he is prepared to fight him with a pop gun!

The instruments and toys of war that reflect our violent society form a striking contrast to the peaceful presence of the chicks and doves. The new mother, attended by little cherubs, seems to be blissfully preoccupied -- perhaps with reading the latest advice on raising children successfully. The pregnant black girl patiently waits behind the doctor, her status revealed by her diminutive size. Notice the body language of the nurse. While she is only assisting, it looks as if she could take over as a midwife at a minute's notice.

What is the doctor handing the newborn -- a bill, a card for his next appointment, or an official ID card welcoming him into the human race?