Eric Musgrave Week 4 Medicine + Technology + Art

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This week's topic challenged a lot of my preconceived notions of art as well as medicine. My major is physiological sciences and as such, I was required to learn all parts of the human body in my classes. In her lecture, Dr. V mentions "Gray's Anatomy" by Henry Gray and all of the subsequent iterations of the book (Lecture 1). In the book are detailed representations of human physiology and anatomy illustrated by Henry Carter. This book is a masterful example that exemplifies the inherent relationship between medicine and art. In order to explain medicine to the masses, it is necessary to first present the material in the form of CT scans and X-rays (Dr. V Lecture 2) . Likewise it is equally important to update the information as more is obtained which explains the many editions of the book.



In the Casini reading, she posits the idea of an MRI being analogous to a portrait (pg. 16). Through the advent of social media and forums of social opinion (ie. Twitter), most humans put on a representative that dresses and behaves a certain way based on a fear of ostracization. However, though innate differences can be clearly observed in human MRIs, the MRI itself is not confined to societal beauty standards. Instead, the MRI reduces human individuality to its rawest form,  irrespective of external appearance. In this regard, I argue that artistically, the MRI represents the true self-portrait since it cannot be altered by makeup, plastic surgery, etc.



However, while MRIs reflect the rawest form of humanity, it does not entirely change the societal pressure placed on individuals to look a certain way. Art has taught humanity that some features are desirable and that others are not.  Dr. V details the rise of plastic surgery in America being attributed to soldier disfigurement caused by war (Lecture 3). Thus, this remarkable technology was initially marketed to fix "that which had been destroyed." However, in modern times, plastic surgery provides humans with the ability to give themselves features they were not born with. To some degree, the freedom offered by plastic surgery allows people to be more confident and expressive, however, it also strips them of their individuality. Nevertheless, as evident by the creation of prosthetic limbs (Dr. V Lecture 4) among other inventions, plastic surgery has been highly beneficial in the medical field.



Works Cited

Casini, Silvia. “Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) as Mirror and Portrait: MRI Configurations Between Science and the Arts.” Configurations, vol. 19, no. 1, Dec. 2011, pp. 73–99, https://doi.org/10.1353/con.2011.0008. 

Vesna, Victoria. “Medicine + Technology + Art | Lectures (Lecture 1).” 25 Apr. 2024, University of California, Los Angeles, University of California, Los Angeles. 

Vesna, Victoria. “Medicine + Technology + Art | Lectures (Lecture 2).” 25 Apr. 2024, University of California, Los Angeles, University of California, Los Angeles. 

Vesna, Victoria. “Medicine + Technology + Art | Lectures (Lecture 3).” 25 Apr. 2024, University of California, Los Angeles, University of California, Los Angeles. 

Vesna, Victoria. “Medicine + Technology + Art | Lectures (Lecture 4).” 25 Apr. 2024, University of California, Los Angeles, University of California, Los Angeles. 

Images Cited

Gray, Henry. Gray’s Anatomy. Arcturus Publishing, 2008. https://www.amazon.com/Anatomy-Leatherbound-Classics-Classic-Collection/dp/1435114930

Kauvery Hospital. "Plastic Surgery." https://kauveryhospital.com/blog/plastic-surgery/the-difference-between-plastic-surgery-and-cosmetic-surgery/

Longhorn Imaging. "MRI Scan." https://www.longhornimaging.com/blog/why-choose-an-mri/

Comments

  1. Brandon VuongApril 28, 2024 at 4:23 AM

    Hi Eric!

    I enjoyed reading your blog this week! This week's topic definitely changed how I view the connection of art and medicine as well. I liked how you stressed the importance of updating information as more research is conducted. It is invaluable for reference book's like Gray's Anatomy to stay relevant by frequent updates. Your thoughts on MRI technology were really fascinating to read. I completely agree that MRIs allow you to peer into one's true self. You also bring up really interesting points with plastic surgery. It's a double-edged sword that allows people to express themselves as they would prefer, but also could lead to a loss of individuality. Overall, great job on this week's blog!

    ReplyDelete

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