We all aspire to be healthy, yet with each passing day we navigate through its risks. Most of these risks are unseen, hidden in details, and they often impact us in a very subtle manner. It is almost like an eerie pale silhouette, which lives far away from public view, distant and forgotten. In 2001 Germany issued a set of four postage stamps, on health-risks, portrayed as silhouettes in our lives.
Depression
First stamp in the set features depression, with its manifestations inscribed on the stamp – lack of sleep, loss of energy, feelings of listlessness, lack of interest, low mood and guilt.
Depression often remains hidden from plain sight. It is quite like a shadow of inner gloom, which this postage stamp attempts to portray. The first day cover also depicts a hazy face, probably implying a state of mind. Shadows are also used in psychoanalysis to imply a darker side, in contrast to bright and clearer images of joy.
Depression can cause difficulties in all aspects of life, including performance at school, productivity at work, relationships with family, friends and community. Every year more than 250 million people suffer from depression across the world. A complex interaction of social, psychological and biological factors, it is a commonest mental health issue. Promoting wellness, engaging in social activities, and having meaningful conversations are some of the suggested ways to mitigate its impact.
Cancer
Second stamp is on cancer, with its risks such as smoking, poor diet, excessive sun exposure, and not doing preventive checks.
Cancer also remains hidden from plain sight. The postage stamp depicts silhouette of a torso, with its common risks inscribed on it. As it impacts various body parts, first day cover has a human, as seen from the back. While some risks are common day to day activities, others are less well explained. Some of the risks are at molecular or genetic level, and are even more unseen.
Burden of Cancers is growing. In 2022, there were an estimated 20 million new cancer cases and 9.7 million deaths. The estimated number of people who were alive within 5 years following a cancer diagnosis was 53.5 million. About 1 in 5 people develop cancer in their lifetime, approximately 1 in 9 men and 1 in 12 women die from the disease.
Cardiovascular Diseases
Third one in the four-stamp set is on cardiovascular disease, with poor diet, cigarette smoking, lack of exercise, untreated high blood pressure, and stress as its risks.
Cardiovascular diseases are the largest epidemic of the century. Fueled by obesity, physical inactivity, smoking and poor food choices – it leads to death or disability due to heart attacks or strokes. The stamp and the cover use an outstretched palm, as if asking all to pause and stop, rethink and renew our lifestyle choices.
Burden of cardiovascular diseases (CVD) and its risk factors is huge, and affects more than half of all adult population across the world. Further, the burden is on rise in low-income countries, where most people in the world live. Put together CVDs are a leading cause of death globally.
Hidden infections
Last one is on hidden infections such as AIDS and other infections that are sexually transmitted.
The stamp has a silhouette of a lower torso, to imply sexual transmission. Today HIV, Hepatitis B and C viruses are leading sexually transmitted infections. Of these Hepatitis B can also lead to cancer of the liver. They impact individuals and families, and also affect yet unborn children. Cancer of uterine cervix due to human papilloma virus (HPV) is , a sexually transmitted disease and second common cancer in women. HPV and Hepatitis B can be effectively prevented by a vaccine.
The set of four silhouettes
The four silhouettes are a powerful reminder of all the hidden things that affect our health. Lack of clarity in these images, may also reflect how we understand these risks. Worth a thousand words, each one of these four stamps provokes us to think about our inner self.
This set of unclear postage stamps is also a unique work of art. Blurring an image adds an element mystery, ambiguity, and challenges conventional aesthetics. It forces our imagination, invokes emotions and calls for all of us to introspect our lives.