This week’s
lecture was very eye-opening for me. I also had a few years of experience of
drawing and I encountered the same question as Professor Vesna: why do I have
to learn about the inner human body structures? After this week’s lecture, I
found out that it is because the human body and the medical world are art. Ever
since the ancient time, doctors record studies, findings, and patients’ records
through drawings. They don’t have the advanced technologies to help them keep
records like we do now, so they rely on hand-drawn pictures to help them record
the patients’ illness. This relationship between art and medicine is further shown
by the Hippocratic Oath, where medicine, for various times, is referred to as
“art.”
We still use a
lot of art in describing our inner body and the behaviors of various body parts
in today’s medical world. In Drew Berry’s Body
Code, the artist used computer animation to show the cells, DNA, and
proteins in our bodies. New technology made it possible for us to see the actions
of the microscopic cells, which would’ve been impossible in the past.
I think that those animations themselves are art pieces as they show how
amazing our body is. Similar technologies, such as X-rays, MRI’s, and CAT
Scans, all allow us to “depict the unseen…[and] to provide access to” the
inside of our bodies (Casini 74). Medicine is the art of body and technological advancements has helped us to better analyze this art.
Another obvious
connection between art and medicine is cosmetic surgery. Although cosmetic
surgery was first intended as a way for soldiers to repair the physical damages
caused by war, in nowadays, it has changed to become a medium to beauty and
perfections. People rely on cosmetic surgery to change their outer appearances
into that of their dreams.
Works Cited
Ancient Medical
Record. Digital image. N.p., n.d. Web. 09 July 2014. <http://www.messagetoeagle.com/images/preswcriptionstibet01.jpg>.
Berry, Drew.
"Drew Berry - Body Code." Australian Centre For The Moving Image.
ACMI, n.d. Web. 9 July 2014.
Body Code.
Digital image. N.p., 2003. Web. 09 July 2014.
<http://www.acmi.net.au/global/images/lib/img_tran_artdrewberry.jpg>.
Casini, Silvia.
"Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) as Mirror and Portrait: MRI
Configurations between Science and the Arts." Configurations 19.1
(2011): 73-99. Web. 10 July 2014.
Chest X-Ray. Digital
image. N.p., n.d. Web. 09 July 2014. <http://www.proactivecopd.com/style/images/upload/chest-x-ray.jpg>.
Cosmetic Surgery
Advertisement. Digital image. N.p., n.d. Web. 09 July 2014. <http://2.zol-img.com.cn/product/88_450x337/468/cePx6TxdooSUo.jpg>.
Tyson, Peter.
"The Hippocratic Oath Today." PBS. PBS, 27 Mar. 2001. Web. 08
July 2014.
Vesna,Victoria.
“Lecutre Part 1.” MedTech + Art. 09 July 2014. Lecture.
Vesna,Victoria.
“Lecutre Part 3.“ MedTech + Art. 09 July 2014. Lecture.
I really liked your example of the Chinese ad. Good reference. In general, I like your own ties you make that relate back to the topics discussed in "lecture".
ReplyDeleteIn regards to your example on plastic surgery, I think it's rather scary to see the extent to which people will go to reach their ideal sense of beauty. The more that I think on plastic surgery, I find it to be rather counter-intuitive. If we are trying to glorify the beauty of human and the human's physical form, we should be glorifying the wide range of physical characteristics.
ReplyDeleteHey, Yang! Thanks to comment on my blog. As you know, I am a phy sci major, and I personally learned a lot of staff about the MRI or CAT scan, and I never referred those as art, so your example again is eye-opening for me. Moreover, the cosmetic surgery is a fresh idea about medtech and art, because what the surgery brings us is a better looking face, and provides us with the aesthetic value.
ReplyDeleteI like your Chinese advertisement about plastic surgery. It is every eye-catching and interesting how plastic surgeries are promoted. Moreover, I like how you connect yourself as an amateur artist to Professor Vesna's lecture.
ReplyDeleteI very much agree with your comment on how the over-use of medicine to reach perfection can lead to potential harm to the body. It is a question of how much medicine or how many plastic surgeries people are willing to take to reach perfection, and whether side effects will actually stop them from continuing.
ReplyDelete