July 1, 2016
Week 2
Medical Technology & Art
Medicine and art were
first linked together with the Hippocratic Oath. The Hippocratic Oath mentions
that medicine is like a form of art. After viewing the lectures and reading
materials this week, I find the link between the two very obvious. The
advancement in technology is improving people’s well-being, and medical
technology is a form of art that is helping bring these advancements to light.
Medical technology is linked
with art when it comes to diagnosing medical problems. The MRI, Medical
Resonance Image, helps physicians diagnose medical problems by using powerful
magnetics to take images of the brain. The more powerful the magnetic field is,
the better the image will be. According to Silvia Casini, an MRI is like a
mirror and a portrait. I had to have an MRI because of a neck injury I acquired
during a high school basketball game. I was only 16 years old and had no idea
that I was going to need earplugs as I entered this claustrophobic tube for 35
minutes. I believe that was the first time I laid completely still for that
amount of time while being wide awake. However, I was grateful for the results
of the MRI and was happy I was able to get back on the court.
Furthermore, plastic surgery is definitely a
facet that brings medical technology and art together. The patient is the
plastic surgeon’s medium and the operating room is their studio. Plastic
surgery evolved from the war and its intention was to repair the injuries
associated with the soldier’s disfigurements. (Vesna) A good plastic surgeon
should have a good eye for aesthetic proportions and be very skilled. Interestingly,
as I researched this topic I came across an amusing find that the University of
Lincoln adds courses in art to their medical school curriculum for plastic
surgeons. “The class, titled the Art of Reconstruction, is
divided into three sections – self-portraiture, life drawing and clay modeling.
But the classes aren’t your run-of-the mill art lessons - instead they are
tailored to be applicable to plastic surgery,
in particular procedures dealing with the head, neck and breasts.” (The
American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery)
As for the documentary about Orlan, I did not turn
away from viewing it, however I did find it extremely disturbing. This is not
about a woman who wants to undergo plastic surgery to improve her appearance or
feel good about herself. It is about a woman who wants to completely change her
appearance through medical technology. In my opinion this is science taking it
too far.
Works Cited
"ASAPS." Art and Plastic Surgery Go
Together on University Curriculum. N.p., n.d. Web. 30 June 2016.
Casini, Silvia. “Magnetic Resonance Imaging
Imaging (MRI) as Mirror and Protrait: MRI Configurations between Science and
the Arts.” (Configurations 19.1(2011): 73-99. Web. 28 June 2016.
"Magnetic Resonance Imaging."
Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, n.d. Web. 30 June 2016.
Orlan – Carnal Art (2001) Documentary. Dir.
Stéphan Oriach. Perf. Orlan. N.d. Film. YouTube. Web. 1 July 2016. <http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=no_66MGu0Oo
"Plastic Surgery Mistakes - Plastic
Surgery - Austin Cosmetic Sugery ." Westlake Plastic Surgery Austin
Cosmetic Surgery Center. N.p., 2013. Web. 30 June 2016.
"The Hippocratic Oath and Abortion."
Hippocratic Oath and Abortion. N.p., n.d. Web. 30 June 2016.
Vesna, Victoria. "Medicinept1." Online video
clip. YouTube. Youtube, 21 Apr 2012. Web. 30 June 2016.
Vesna, Victoria. "Medicinept3." Online video
clip. YouTube. Youtube, 21 Apr 2012. Web. 1 July 2016.
I really enjoyed reading this post! MRIs are definitely a form of art. As well as X-Rays, they provide us with images of the human body and allow us to see what is taking place inside one's body without having to go under the knife. I loved your analogy, "The patient is the plastic surgeon’s medium and the operating room is their studio." I believe that this statement holds true. Plastic surgeons are artists working very carefully to reconstruct humans, and if that isn't considered art then there is a problem. Great post!
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