Week 4 - MediTech and Art

Edward Stitt's Self-Portrait Sagittal Slice (1994)

 

Throughout history, humanity has continuously exhibited a drive to understand itself, to learn more about the human body and human mind. It’s this drive that’s at the forefront of art and medicine. For instance, in ancient Greece, physicians began to dissect cadavers to explore the human body, despite religious nonacceptance. It’s due to this that physicians such as Vesalius, the father of modern medicine, were able to make significant discoveries regarding the accurate anatomy of the human figure (which had previously been erroneous, largely based on animal anatomy). Such discoveries influenced not only the future medical field, but also the artistic field as they added opportunity to art pieces, allowing artists to truly bring their work to life. 

An example of the blending of anatomy and art can be found in the piece, Self-Portrait Sagittal Slice by Edward Stitt. It’s a portrait that depicts the artist’s outer face as well as his inner features. It drives forward a message of self-perception, in that an individual is truly composed of both what is externally perceived and what is internally within (Lancet).

Image of an MRI scan procedure
Such explorations of the human form are still occurring today. Particularly, the CAT scan is reminiscent of cadaver dissection -- although instead of physically exploring the body, the CAT scan does so digitally by taking and processing x-ray images from multiple angles of the body.  A similar technique is used with an MRI scanner, and both artists and doctors are beginning to use such medical technologies. Silvia Casini mentions how the entire process of being scanned is beneficial in exploring the human consciousness. She writes, “[t]he artist explicitly reflects upon the MRI scanner as a method of suspending the stimuli coming from the outside world, thus enabling the contemplation of our mental states” (79). 

    
Stelarc's "Third Hand"
Hence, artistry and medicine are truly interconnected due to the drive to explore humanity. This is furthered, however, as some individuals use these fields in order to try and enhance the human body, seeing how far one can push the limits. Such can truly be observed in Stelarc’s “ Third Hand.” A piece created utilizing medical robotics, instruments, and prosthetics, it’s designed to extend the body by adding a fully movable third hand. Stelarc describes using electronic techniques to adapt the human body, making it more adequate in a digital age.

Overall, it's undeniable that the human body lies at the forefront of the intersection of art and science. Further, as we use these fields to explore and learn more, it becomes even more undeniable that the body is still unknown and mysterious in many ways. However, this enables me, as a rising medical practitioner, to interact and treat patients with kindness. Such as is declared in the Hippocratic oath, "I will remember that I do not treat a fever chart, a cancerous growth, but a sick human being."



WORKS CITED

Atzori, Paolo, and Kirk Woolford. Extended-Body: Interview with Stelarc, web.stanford.edu/dept/HPS/stelarc/a29-extended_body.html. 

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

Florkin, Marcel. “Andreas Vesalius.” Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., www.britannica.com/biography/Andreas-Vesalius. 

Lam, Peter. “What to Know About MRI Scans.” Medical News Today, MediLexicon International, 24 July 2018, www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/146309. 

Liao, Joshua. “The Human Body at the Intersection of Art and Science.” The Lancet, vol. 381, no. 9866, 16 Feb. 2013, doi:10.1016/s0140-6736(13)60266-4. 

Stelarc. “Third Hand.” STELARC, stelarc.org/?catID=20290. 

Stitt, Edward. “Self-Portrait Sagittal Slice.” ed stitt, 1994, https://www.edstitt.net/imgallery/paintings/My_First_40_Years/pg2/469

Tyson, Peter. “The Hippocratic Oath Today.” PBS, Public Broadcasting Service, 26 Mar. 2001, www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/article/hippocratic-oath-today/. 

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