History of the AMI

In the 1930’s, two of Max Brödel’s students at Hopkins, Jack Wilson and Elon Clark, had made attempts to organize medical illustrators around the country. People were working in an insular way, without much cross-pollination or exchange of ideas. It was in 1944 that Muriel McLatchie, who was working at Massachusetts General in Boston, made contact with Tom Jones at UIC, who had started the country’s second medical illustration curriculum, and who was deeply interested in visual education in medicine. Jones invited Muriel McLatchie to meet in Chicago along with nine others.

During that meeting, several key organizational decisions were made, the first of which was that there would be a Nucleus Committee of Five established. The members of the Nucleus Committee each chose five more (charter) members to serve as delegates at the upcoming 1945 organizational meeting. So many wanted to be in on the ground floor that an additional 30 were selected as ‘alternates’ to avoid bruised egos.

Muriel McLatchie was the glue that held the enterprise together—as secretary, she kept up a vigorous correspondence with the Nucleus Five members, and sent questionnaires to numerous medical artists describing the nascent organization. Responses were positive and overwhelming, with many illustrators volunteering to help with the common goal of creating an association. By January 1945, Tom Jones had been selected as chairman of the Nucleus Five, and July 16, 1945 was the date chosen for the official formation of the Association of Medical Illustrators.

The 1960’s saw the AMI maturing with an expanded salon, new standards for the schools, and development of aCode of Ethics and Code of Fair Practice. The AMI took its first stand on copyright law.The role of television in medical education was a growing topic of interest, as well as scientific exhibits and medical publishing.New materials and techniques, especially plastics, were being explored for 3D models.

1965: Logo by Bob Demarest

The 1970’s was a time of paradigm shifts in many areas. Color was being used more in publishing, illustrators were trying new techniques and materials, and were branching out into television, video and film. Educational design was piquing the interest of the schools. Buckminster Fuller, the influential futurist, gave the Brödel Memorial lecture in 1972. The Journal of Biocommunication was born in 1973, and workshops became a standard feature at meetings.  In 1979 the AMI Salon was judged for the first time.

In the 1980’s, open membership, certification, and fellowship were discussed in depth. The first international AMI meeting was held in 1981 in Toronto. Medical Legal art came into its own as a medical specialty, and in 1983, computer graphics services were being offered in 19 biocommunications departments. Also in 1983 the first Medical Illustration Sourcebook was published. BIO ’84 was a combined meeting with 998 registrants from several societies. The Vesalius Trust was created in 1988.

The 1990s saw growth in Editorial, Advertising and Medical Legal markets for illustrators, as well as the expansion of studios and new pharmaceutical business. The closing of several in-house service departments compelled many illustrators to move into self-employment.

Computer graphics was moving to center stage initially for basic graphics and slides, but by the end of the decade for Photoshop illustrations and some 3D animation.

Peggy Henry, the AMI’s longtime Executive Director, retired and the AMI went through a decade of different management companies. Certification of Medical Illustrators finally became a reality.

Dr. Frank Netter received an AMI Award of Special Recognition for Contributions to Medical Education, and the Frank H. Netter Award was established by the Vesalius Trust. Ranice Crosby published her biography of Max Brödel: The Man Who Put Art into Medicine.

The AMI Archives were established at Bowman Gray School of Medicine.

The 1990s also saw a 50th Anniversary Celebration of the AMI and the publication of the History of the Association of Medical Illustrators.

By the 2000s, digital art was mainstay among AMI artists. Adobe Creative Suite (initially released in 2003) provided the industry standards for photo editing, illustration, graphic design, video editing, and web development programs in a convenient package. The decade also saw the rise of 3D applications. By decade’s end, adopters of 3D media were consistently producing award-winning imagery.  

Concern and action for protection of artist/illustrator rights regarding copyright was high priority in the AMI, which led to its partnership with other organizations and their coordination of similar efforts. 

The 2000s ended with internal debate over the name of the organization as members’ specialties continued to diversify in many directions.

While 2D media remained omnipresent in the AMI, popularity of 3D tools continued to increase. The technology boom of the previous decade led to the release of powerful yet affordable 3D applications. The availability of online production and contract services (e.g., rapid turn-around rendering, voice talent, and interactive programming) combined with increased workstation capabilities allowed individual artists to produce complex media projects previously achieved only by well-funded production studios. Faster processing also negated the computational demands of advance 3D rendering processes, such as raytracing, a technology that simulates how light is dispersed in the real world to produce images with a high degree of realism.

2020 would have marked the association’s 75th anniversary, but the COVID-19 pandemic postponed the Celebration to 2021.

Over 800 members strong, the AMI has grown from the Nucleus 5 founding members into a worldwide organization of interdisciplinary students and professionals that continue to create and promote visual media to advance science and medicine.

The exhibit is continuing to grow and we invite you to offer feedback, as well as suggestions for additions to the show, on the AMI Members Hub.