The Sacred Heart: An Atlas of the Body Seen Through Invasive Surgery

by Max Aguilera-Hellweg

Takes the reader on an exploration of the human body beneath the skin as one surgeon documents major operations, such as the removal of a brain tumor and a cesarean birth, through a collection of photographs.

Genres: Photography, Nonfiction, Science, Medicine, Art

Hardcover

First published October 1, 1997

Reviews

[alyssa carver · Rating 3 out of 5]

i am extremely not-squeamish about medical stuff. at least i thought so. this stuff is difficult to look at. but, that said, i am grateful someone has documented it for us to see.

[Bill Hsu · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely gorgeous collection.

[Tyler Roland · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is not really a novel, and it's more of a visual piece than a book to get lost in. It's all about the pictures, and they make Sacred Heart the most disturbing book I've ever "read." The text is fairly substantial, with the photographer talking about how he got into photographing human surgery with artistic reverence. There are some very macabre sentences, but again, the pictures. Things you can't unsee. I got it because a band I love used it for artwork on one of their records, and I do appreciate having it as a sort of memento mori. VERY UNSETTLING! Horrific!

[Tom Schulte · Rating 4 out of 5]

Explicit without being gory, these surgery photographs in start light accompanied by tender, reflective prose represent an eerie and tender gallery of bodies violated and immobile. The "atlas" part comes from the chapter grouping of "Trunk", "Extremities", etc. Procedure details, unfortunately, are crammed into hard to read text in a couple of afterword pages.

[Bookthreat · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read our conversation about the book at https://bookthreat.com/2017/04/12/the...

[Nathan · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Sacred Heart has been something of a challenge for me other the years. I first discovered Max Aguilera-Hellweg and several of the photos in this book through the Fantômas album Delìrium Còrdia and for quite a while I was unable to look through the insert at the pictures for more than a few seconds. Surgery was never something I was able to handle growing up as my sister use to watch surgeries on television almost non stop for a portion of my childhood.

Eventually my aversion to the few photos included with the album turned more into a curiosity and I began to have days where I could look at them for what seemed like hours even though it was really just a few minutes if that. Finally I decided I had to find this book and see what else there was that Mr. Hellweg had photographed.

I received my copy of the Sacred Heart for Christmas at the confusion of my parents who knew about how surgery made me feel but granted my only Christmas request regardless. For a good two years I had days where I was completely enamored with the book, carefully studying the photos and reading the text along side just getting a glimpse of what was going through Max's head during his work on the Sacred Heart. This book is not for the squeamish and even then it can be a turn off to many. But to the people who are curious, who want a look at invasive surgery but more from an artistic viewpoint where there is a great appreciation for what is happening then this is a book to get.

My favorite photograph is still on page 46. It was take during the middle of a LVAD procedure and I still find it totally mesmerizing after years of having looked at it again and again. This book is not about brutality and is not set out to horrify people; rather, The Sacred Heart is fascinating in how it shows the complexity of the human body through as well as giving a peek at what some surgeons do on a regular basis. While it is hard to find a copy, especially in good condition, I still highly recommend this book to anyone remotely interested.

[Tessa in Mid-Michigan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Think you want to go into medicine? Be a surgeon? This book will tell you if you are going to be able to handle it--at least, how you will react at first. Just go through these pictures. They are of all kinds of procedures and show lots of aspects of surgery. More than I wanted, which surprised me. I have a pretty strong stomach and thought I could take anything. Guess not. Oh, I looked at them all, but I didn't feel that great while I was doing it. One star off for gruesome bloodiness.

[Natalie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm not easily squicked, but a lot of these photos are tough to look at. The descriptions of surgeries were actually worse. Did you know a donor heart has to be kept beating when it's extracted from the donor and placed into the recipient? I didn't, either. The donor has to be braindead, but physically kept "alive" through machinery in order to harvest the heart. This is why I'm not an organ donor.

[T G · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's something of a wince-factory. The photography is gorgeous and scary. If this didn't make me stop smoking, and (puff) it didn't, then nothing will. Oh, well, I mean death'll do it, but that's like winning via forfeit.

[ba · Rating 5 out of 5]

Awesome! Sadly, I gave this to an artist friend, and haven't seen it since.

[Brian Bullard · Rating 5 out of 5]

this is one of the most beautiful books ever. the words, poetry, and stunning images will blow your mind.

[Justina · Rating 5 out of 5]

Max is an amazing and courageous photographer. These surgery photos are a visual shrine to Western medicine.