Artistic Depictions of Cleft Lip and Palate Display Attitudes of Past Cultures

Newswise — Art can tell us much about cultures past and present, including how a society views and values those who are outside its perception of “normal.” Reviewing works of art depicting people with cleft lip and palate tells us not only about the past, but also about the impact of art and media on our view of those in the present.

The March issue of Cleft Palate–Craniofacial Journal reviews art from centuries past for its social attitudes toward cleft lip and palate. An article explores the social and psychological ramifications these works carry and suggests new directions for today’s artists.

Many societies, even in the modern day, measure a person’s intelligence, character, and even “goodness” based on physical appearance. Those who do not fit the “social norm,” such as those with cleft lip and palate, can be stigmatized and face psychosocial adversity. Without the modern knowledge that cleft lip and palate is a congenital anomaly that occurs during embryonic development, past cultures viewed it in a different light.

An Elizabethan ballad from 16th-century England tells of a “monstrous child” and warns against the immorality of the parents. The accompanying illustration depicts a newborn with multiple anomalies, including cleft lip and spina bifida. A painting of a street urchin from the Ming Dynasty displays in great detail a severe case of cleft lip and palate. As a street character, the subject represents the lowest class in society and suggests the Chinese folk belief that a cleft lip and palate is a curse.

Despite the many negative perceptions of cleft lip and palate, some societies, particularly in Central and South America, have held a much different view. The Moche of northern Peru, from 100 to 700 AD, used pottery and ceramics to capture their culture. Several pieces show noblemen, as can be told from ornamentations such as a sash, who proudly display their cleft lips. The Moche believed that those with clefts were anointed by the gods to occupy high positions of respect.

Societies can develop from a “personal tragedy” model of disability, where a disability happens to an unfortunate individual, to a “social” model of disability, where it is the duty of society to ensure that all are equally included in its social organization. The art media, including films, advertisements, and paintings, must be conscious of social responsibility to include within their work a wide range of individuals—even those with deformities—as “normal.”

Full text of “Cleft Lip and Palate in the Arts: A Critical Reflection ,” Cleft Palate–Craniofacial Journal, Volume 49, Number 2, March 2012, published by Allen Press, is available at http://www.cpcjournal.org/

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About Cleft Palate–Craniofacial JournalThe official publication of the American Cleft Palate–Craniofacial Association (ACPA), the Cleft Palate–Craniofacial Journal is a bi-monthly international, interdisciplinary journal on craniofacial anomalies. The journal explores and reports on the study and treatment, including experimental and proven surgical procedures, of cleft lip/palate and craniofacial anomalies. It also keeps readers in touch with the latest research in related laboratory sciences. To learn more about the society, please visit: http://www.acpa-cpf.org/.