Week 4: MedTech & Art
Week 4: MedTech & Art
Art has been extremely important in the advancement and development of medtech. People learning medicine use diagrams, drawings, and models of the human body, which are created through art. For example, the human genome project, which aimed to provide a genetic blueprint for humans, required art to demonstrate what the scientists found. In other words, scientists often rely on visual representations, or art forms to represent their medical technologies.
The Human Genome Project, particularly a visual representation of the findings from the human genome project (Image 1).
Furthermore, medical technology influences art. For example, the medical textbook entitled Gray’s Anatomy was used in the popular show entitled Grey’s Anatomy. The knowledge of scientific discoveries and advancements, particularly medical technologies, helps generate creative yet realistic ideas for several types of art. Additionally, artists can use the study of medical technologies to create art. For example, people can use their MRI or other medical scans in their art. A woman named Elizabeth Jameson used her MRI scan in her art, making it colorful and vibrant. Even if artists don’t fully understand medical technologies, an understanding of them can help them generate ideas and create art that is more realistic and relevant to the real world.
The wide use of medical technologies in art, and the public’s appreciation for this type of art demonstrates that we as humans are fascinated by these medical technologies and the knowledge that they bring us. For example, Grey’s Anatomy is an extremely popular TV show and is still being watched by fans, even after 20 seasons. There are also other TV shows that have gained popularity, such as The Good Doctor, that feature these medical technologies.
However, this interest that humans have toward medical technologies is not new. Throughout history, many sculptures and statues of humans have been created in hopes of realistically representing the human body. For example, human figures have been attempted as early as 3700 BC. Therefore, this interest that we have in anatomy and medical technologies is often utilized when creating art.
Overall, I found the lectures to be the most influential and interesting. The lectures really prompted me to research on my own and find more information.
Works Cited
Hansen, John T. “The making of Mr. Gray's anatomy - PMC.” NCBI, 1 May 2009, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2673841/. Accessed 24 April 2024.
“The human body depicted in sculpture throughout history-Michael Urbina — Google Arts & Culture.” Google Arts & Culture, https://artsandculture.google.com/usergallery/JALCqiK7Q7tvKw. Accessed 24 April 2024.
“Human Genome Project Timeline.” National Human Genome Research Institute, 5 July 2022, https://www.genome.gov/human-genome-project/timeline. Accessed 24 April 2024.
Hunter, Sarah. “Why Fans Still Love ‘Grey’s Anatomy’ 20 Seasons In.” HuffPost, 14 March 2024, https://www.huffpost.com/entry/greys-anatomy-20th-season-fans_n_65f0b5b0e4b02ad7de1aac0b. Accessed 24 April 2024.
MacCormick, Holly, et al. “Patient advocate uses MRI scans to create art and spark conversations about life with illness.” Scope | Stanford Medicine's, 16 October 2018, https://scopeblog.stanford.edu/2018/10/16/patient-advocate-uses-mri-scans-to-create-art-and-spark-conversations-about-life-with-illness/. Accessed 24 April 2024.
McKiernan, Mike. “X-rays as art.” Oxford Academic, 18 November 2014, https://academic.oup.com/occmed/article/64/8/569/1432186. Accessed 24 April 2024.
“23 surprising facts you didn't know about 'Grey's Anatomy.'” Barco Uniforms, https://barcomade.com/blogs/my-scrublife/23-surprising-facts-you-didn-t-know-about-grey-s-anatomy. Accessed 24 April 2024.
Tyson, Peter. “The Hippocratic Oath Today | NOVA.” PBS, 26 March 2001, https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/article/hippocratic-oath-today/. Accessed 24 April 2024.Fridovich, Judith L. “Human Genome Project (HGP) | History, Timeline, & Facts.” Britannica, https://www.britannica.com/event/Human-Genome-Project. Accessed 24 April 2024.
Image 2:
Miller, Hawken, and Ed Tobias. “Artist With MS Finds Beauty, Individuality in MRI Brain Scans.” Multiple Sclerosis News Today, 29 March 2022, https://multiplesclerosisnewstoday.com/news-posts/2022/03/29/artist-multiple-sclerosis-finds-beauty-individuality-mri-brain-scans/. Accessed 24 April 2024.
Image 3:
“The human body depicted in sculpture throughout history-Michael Urbina — Google Arts & Culture.” Google Arts & Culture, https://artsandculture.google.com/usergallery/JALCqiK7Q7tvKw. Accessed 24 April 2024.
Hello Helene!
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed your blog post and really liked your point of media with an emphasis on medicine and medical technology such as Grey's Anatomy. I think this interest in medicine is ultimately tied to a fascination we have with the human body and anatomy. Anatomy is definitely very linked with art in many ways, and because of this link, I think both art and medicine have been able to advance through time. Art is indeed needed to better understand medical concepts, and medicine is needed in art to convey the real life.