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My friend's a walking medical journal

My friend Matt is covered in medical tattoos.

My friend Matt is covered in medical tattoos. He's got stethoscopes on his thigh, an otoscope on his calf, and an x-ray pelvis. He is whole-heartedly in love with medical paraphernalia design and has committed his body to looking like a weird, amazing medical cabinet, ready and stocked for any emergency.

Using his own collection of life-saving instruments as inspiration for the past two and a half years, Matt
has paid some serious visit-time to his tattooist, and there's apparently no end in sight as long as he sees plain, untouched skin. But don’t ask him which is his favourite — like a proud father he loves them all dearly and equally.

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Vice: What's with the medical equipment obsession?
Matt: I’ve always liked medical instruments, probably from spending a lot of time as a child in hospitals. I’m not scared of hospitals or their instruments.

What did you get first?
I got my diabetic tattoo before I went on holidays to Mexico to traipse around on donkeys. It says “I am an insulin dependent diabetic. If I seem drunk give me sugar.”

So, what started out as something serious, has turned into something really serious?
Yes. Now when I see my leg I don’t see the tattooed space, I see the un-tattooed space.

How many instruments have you got?
I've got a tethoscope, reflex hammer, otoscope, sphygmomanometer, forceps, a bone saw, oxygen mask, latex gloves, surgical string, skin grafting razor, trephine skull drill, a medical warning label, and a syringe.

Surely your tattooist gets really excited whenever you go in.
We have a really good relationship. I take the instruments from my collection, or otherwise photographs of the instruments, and we talk together about where they should go. I also have a collection of old medical instrument catalogues with really cool illustrations. She gets a bit nervous because I’m a very discerning customer.

Does it help you study, cos you’re like an encyclopaedia of medical tools?
I hadn’t thought of that… that’s a good idea.

Any concern you might freak people out
Well I don’t think I’ll ever be turning up to work wearing hot-pants, but yeah they have freaked people out before. So be it.

HELEN J GROSE

PHOTOS BY MARTY WHITSITT