DENTIST DONATES PICTURE TO HOSPITAL

Art may imitate life, and for a local orthodontist and photographer, photographs imitate dentistry.

Dr. David Crowe said he sees a relationship between capturing landscapes on film and shaping his patients' smiles through braces.

Tuesday, Crowe donated a photograph to Southeast Missouri Hospital. It will hang in the hospital's refinished lobby.

He said he donated the picture, which is worth about $2,000, because of his family's long association with Southeast Hospital.

Crowe's father, the late Dr. John Crowe, was a family practitioner in Cape Girardeau. He worked closely with Southeast through his career.

The photo is a panoramic view of a mill on the banks of a stream. The picture was taken at dawn. There is a mist coming up from the water; a blend of autumn's colorful leaves decorate the trees.

"There are parallels between photography and orthodontics: Both of them are a marriage between art and science," Crowe said.

He said the art of orthodontics is to achieve aesthetically pleasing and functional results. Crowe said he sometimes sees a patient as a canvas.

"You sort of visualize the orthodontic result," Crowe said.

Crowe said he took up photography before becoming an orthodontist. He sells some of his photos, and Southeast has purchased a half-dozen of them for its Harrison room. He said he doesn't do photography for the money though.

Jim Wente, Southeast's director, said the photograph has more meaning because it comes from a friend of the hospital.

"It's a beautiful piece of photography and it fits very well with the decor here, and it has a special meaning to us," Wente said. "Dr. Crowe and his family have always been strong supporters of health care in this region."