Eugene Smith used art to make a social statement through concerns over Minamata disease. This disease is a neurological syndrome in which was caused by severe mercury poisoning. During this crisis, the government and Chisso chemical company causing this did little to raise awareness and address the situation. Eugene Smith created this photograph to bring awareness to the situation in efforts to make this deadly disease a more commonly talked about issue. This photograph shows a mother holding her extremely deformed child. This deformity is due to the disease. With such a breathtaking photograph capturing feelings of heartbreak, awareness was created.