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Using Pictorial Representations as Story-Telling

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Abstract

Pictorial representations such as diagrams and figures are widely used in scientific literature for explanatory and descriptive purposes. The intuitive nature of pictorial representations coupled with texts foster a better understanding of the objects of study. Biological mechanisms and processes can be clearly illustrated and grasped in pictures. I argue that pictorial representations describe biological phenomena by telling stories. I elaborate on the role of narrative structures of pictures in the frontier research using a case study in immunology. I articulate that pictures with an inherent narrative structure are crucial in biological sciences.

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Fig. 1

Adapted from Sharma et al. (2010, 29)

Fig. 2

Adapted from Duncan et al. (2007, 8045)

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Notes

  1. The evidential role of pictorial representation is sometimes questioned. See Klein (2010) for the argument that images produced by fMRI in neuroimaging should be viewed as auxiliaries to evidence rather than evidence proper.

  2. I thank an anonymous reviewer for bringing my attention to the works of C.S. Peirce.

  3. Some philosophers deny that economic models with false assumptions are explanatory. For example, see Alexandrova and Northcott (2013).

  4. I am grateful to an anonymous reviewer for pointing out that caution should be applied to distinguish between the notion of causality in natural sciences and in cascades of arguments.

  5. The main goal of the tumor immune therapy is to develop novel therapeutic strategies to mobilize immune cells and cytokines toward cancerous tissues (see Dougan & Dranoff, 2009; Vanneman & Dranoff, 2012).

  6. From the perspective of models-as-narratives, entities in a model (e.g., T cells) are analogous to the entities in the novel (e.g., Sherlock Holmes’s pistol). Events in a model (e.g., T cell activation) are analogous to the events in the novel (e.g., Sherlock Holmes straightened the fire poker which was bent by Dr. Roylott.)

  7. Other fictional assumptions, to name a few, in Robertson-Tessi et al.’s model include: the tumor is assumed to recede symmetrically as it is killed during therapy; the immunosuppressive cytokines IL-10 and TGF-β were only produced by tumor cells and Treg cells; it is assumed that same dose is to be applied in each cycle of chemotherapy. See Robertson-Tessi et al., 2015 for details.

  8. It is conceivable that a proponent of the experiential account of pictorial depiction is inclined to resort to various theories of emotion in her explanation of how one’s mind is to grasp the story told by pictures. As far as scientific picture is concerned, emotion has no role to play in telling a scientific story.

  9. It is widely agreed that pictures and diagrams make clear the complex interactions among operations in a biological mechanism. Pictures “can play a key role in presenting an explanation.” (Bechtel & Abrahamsen, 2005, 427).

  10. See for example Rohkamm (2004), Gilroy et al. (2012), and Tsiouris et al. (2013). These textbooks are characterized with abundance of pictures to foster the understanding of the subject matter. Text is playing second fiddle to the pictures.

  11. Sharma et al. do provide figure caption (not shown in my paper) to facilitate understanding of Fig. 1.

  12. Inflammasome was introduced by Jürg Tschopp in 2002 (Flavell, 2011).

  13. Calcium ion influx (rather than potassium efflux) was reported to be required for extracellular ATP’s triggering of cell type-dependent lysis. See Zanovello et al., 1990.

  14. ATP’s triggering of IL-1β maturation and secretion is not only mediated by inflammasomes. Besides, enzymatic processing of IL-1β can be triggered by other stimuli such as viruses and bacteria.

  15. Before the discovery of inflammasomes, the processed IL-1β in its mature form was not detected inside the cell but detected extracellularly. It was thought that there was no mediator inside the cell (i.e. inflammasomes) that regulates the enzymatic process of pro-IL-1β to IL-1β. See Hogquist et al., 1991.

  16. I thank an anonymous reviewer for highlighting the significance of accepted methods of scientific inference alongside the story-telling process.

  17. In footnote 7, Serpente states that these criteria were derived from his informal discussions and interviews with cell biologists (Serpente, 2016, 107).

  18. I thank an anonymous reviewer for raising the needs to classify different types of graphics. I concur with this, and agrees with him/her that the purpose and function of different types of graphics are different. A detailed analysis for each of them shall be the agenda of the next paper.

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    Sim-Hui Tee

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Tee, SH. Using Pictorial Representations as Story-Telling. Found Sci (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10699-024-09944-1

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