Week 4: MedTech and Art

Growing up with a father who has cardiovascular diseases, I am very familiar with the medical technologies such as Electrocardiogram (ECG), Computed Tomography (CT Scan), and Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI), etc. However, I was not aware of how these technologies came about or how much they owed their origins to the arts. 

ECG illustration 

da Vinci's anatomical drawing
 For centuries, both scientists and artists have always been interested in the internal workings of a human body, specifically the muscles and bones structures. Artist like Leonardo da Vinci had researched and sketched the anatomical structures to make his paintings more realistic. However, he actually became so obsessed with the human body that he completely shifted from being an artist to a scientist in the last 12 years of his life (Sooke, 2013). Had his anatomical drawings been published in his lifetime, they would have tremendously affected the evolution of science. Therefore, anatomical illustration can be seen as the true intersection of art and medical science (Vesna, 2012).

As time goes on, more studies tried to facilitate the anatomy visualization further. One example would be the Visible Human Project, which provided cross-sectional photographs of human bodies by cutting open a body (National Library of Medicine, 2003). This study faced many ethical issues concerning whether it was right for doctors to dissect a corpse, even for research purposes. Despite the Hippocratic oath that doctors must “treat the sick to the best of one’s ability” (Tyson, 2001), I personally do not think there is any violation if the patients volunteered to donate their body for a bigger purpose. It is their bodies, their rights. 

The Visible Human Project
With the Visible Human Project providing a more accurate depiction of a human body, doctors were able to diagnose patients with the correct medical conditions and treat them more efficiently (Casini, 2011). As a result, there had been a decline in communicable diseases. People today are getting healthier and living longer, all thanks to arts and technology. 

People are now healthier 

References 
Casini, Silvia. “Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) as Mirror and Portrait: MRI Configurations between Science and the Arts.” Configurations. 19 (2011): 73–99. 

National Library of Medicine. The Visible Human Project. 2003. Retrieved from https://www.nlm.nih.gov/research/visible/visible_human.html

Sooke, Alastair. “Leonardo da Vinci: Anatomy of an artist.” Telegraph UK. 28 July 2013. Retrieved from https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/art/leonardo-da-vinci/10202124/Leonardo-da-Vinci-Anatomy-of-an-artist.html

Tyson, Peter. “The Hippocratic Oath Today.” PBS. 27 Mar. 2001. Retrieved from http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/body/hippocratic-oath-today.html

Vesna, Victoria. “Medicine and Art: Part 2.” Cole UC online. Youtube, 25 Oct. 2012. Web. 27 Apr, 2018. 

Comments

  1. Emily LeungApril 28, 2018 at 10:29 PM

    I totally agree that if people give permission once they've deceased to be dissected, it is completely ethical. Plus, the costs outweigh the benefits: so many people have been educated from programs that've been developed by the Visible Human Project, and the knowledge spread by it will continue to make us smarter regarding the human body.

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