"Medical illustration is art as applied to medicine, a fusion of science and the graphic image. Medical illustration is a descriptive term for the work of highly-trained professional artists who choose medicine as their subject matter. It can be extremely realistic and anatomically precise or thematic and interpretive, or even abstract and wildly conceptual. Media used by medical illustrators can be high tech or folksy. Medical illustration is used effectively in all major markets, including advertising, editorial, institutional and instructional. It is also at the forefront of newly emergent markets, such as legal and home health. Whether the emphasis is instructional content or subjective impact, medical illustration is a technically demanding and time-honored graphic art."
-Association of Medical Illustrators