Week 4: MedTech & Art

In this week's lectures and readings, we discussed the intersection between medical breakthroughs and technologies and art. Inventions in the medical world have both played a role in shaping art, both through practical breakthroughs that allow for accurate depictions of the human body and by also assisting in defining the beauty standard over time through plastic surgery and other cosmetic procedures. 



In the lectures, the concept of medical illustrations was heavily discussed. Henry Gray was a massive playmaker in spearheading human anatomy illustrations alongside his friend Henry Carter. The impact of the use of cadavers and medical illustrations is tenfold as it enables medical students and other people in the medical profession to accurate explore, study, and understand the human body without the added risk of live patients. This way, every move in a procedure or a treatment can be carefully calculated. 

In term s of medical technology, it was discussed in the video lectures that prosthetics and plastic surgery are highly technological contributions to the field of medicine. The lectures mention that the use of the word "plastic" in plastic surgery is not to refer to the materials used in the field, but rather from the latin word "plasticus", meaning to mold. Plastic surgery stems from repairing the wounds of soldiers heavily injured during war, and despite the mainstream popularity of the industry and its infamous reputation of being utilized to alter physical appearance towards the beauty standard, plastic surgery has existed for hundreds of years. Hand in hand with the origins of plastic surgery is the prosthetics, which have bene used 


Works Cited

Vesna, Victoria. “MedTech + Art pt1.” MedTech + Art.16 April. 2012. Lecture.

Vesna, Victoria. “MedTech + Art pt2.” MedTech + Art.16 April. 2012. Lecture.

Vesna, Victoria. “MedTech + Art pt3.” MedTech + Art.16 April. 2012. Lecture.

Vesna, Victoria. “MedTech + Art pt4.” MedTech + Art.16 April. 2012. Lecture.

Lam, Pearl. “Council Post: The Impact of Artificial Intelligence on the Art World.” Forbes, Forbes Magazine, 19 Feb. 2024, www.forbes.com/sites/forbesbusinesscouncil/2024/02/02/the-impact-of-artificial-intelligence-on-the-art-world/?sh=1c274a3a532d#:~:text=Identifying%20Art%20And%20Assessing%20Value,more%20accurately%20by%20using%20AI. Accessed 17 Apr. 2024. 


Images Works Cited

Coşkun, Ö., Nteli Chatzioglou, G. & Öztürk, A. Henry Gray (1827–1861): the great author of the most widely used resource in medical education. Childs Nerv Syst 38, 1421–1423 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00381-020-04748-7

Ghosh, Sanjib & Kumar, Ashutosh. (2019). The rich heritage of anatomical texts during Renaissance and thereafter: a lead up to Henry Gray's masterpiece. Anatomy & cell biology. 10.5115/acb.19.102. 

Raphelson, Samantha. “The Prosthetics Industry Gets a Human Touch.” NPR, 11 Nov. 2014, www.npr.org/2014/11/11/358048818/the-prosthetics-industry-gets-a-human-touch. Accessed 24 Apr. 2024. 





Comments

  1. karentorresDESMA9April 27, 2024 at 9:24 PM

    This dual nature of plastic surgery reflects the broader capabilities of medical technology to restore function and enhance form, which has had profound implications for societal beauty standards. Linking prosthetics with plastic surgery offers a thoughtful reflection on how technological advancements in medicine serve both functional and aesthetic purposes. Prosthetics, like plastic surgery, originated from the need to restore lost functionality but have evolved into complex systems that can also be seen as forms of art, pushing the boundaries of what is technologically and artistically possible.

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