Hare lip (cheiloschisis) / cleft palate

Juan de Flandes
1465, Belgium-1519, Valencia, Spain

Juan de Flandes, a Flemish painter, was active in Spain from 1496 onwards. He entered the service of Queen Isabella, who appointed him court painter in 1498.

♦ The Beheading of John the Baptist from the Miraflores Altarpiece ♦

♦ Diagnosis
Main symptoms: Split upper lip.
Side effect: Man, executioner.
Clinical diagnosis: Cleft lip (cheiloschisis); cleft palate.

♦ Definition: hare lip (cheiloschisis)
Congenital abnormality in which the upper lip has a cleft or split.
This may be a single opening in the middle of the lip, or an opening on each side. The condition is often accompanied by a cleft palate, an opening in the roof of the mouth.
A cleft lip is usually corrected shortly after birth using plastic surgery.

A congenital malformation characterized by incomplete closure of both halves of the palate. Both the soft palate and uvula, as well as the hard palate, may be affected.
The malformation may or may not be accompanied by a cleft lip or cleft teeth.

♦ Discussion
A cleft lip does not always mean an open lip. Usually, the jaw and palate are also split.
Apart from the fact that patients have a disfigured appearance, they also have great difficulty eating and speaking. There are also numerous middle ear infections.
In fact, the problems are so severe that in a number of countries, many of these patients die.
A cleft lip can be easily corrected with one or two operations, which many people in poor countries cannot afford.

The Cleft Surgery Organisation is a Belgian-Dutch organisation that provides medical surgical assistance in developing countries.

Jan Dequeker

Jan Dequeker
The artist and the doctor look at paintings
Wikipedia

Photos
Wikimedia.org

- retable_Juan Flandes
http://aparences.net/wp-content/uploads/juan_de_flandes_retable.png