Week 4: MedTech + Art
Abi Altick
April 28, 2019
This week’s topic of art relating to medical technology
has been particularly interesting to me, as I have grown up surrounded by
medicine because we have a few doctors in my family. However, I did
not exactly inherit my relatives “love for science,” so learning about how art relates
to medicine was extremely intriguing to learn about this week.
As a competitive athlete, I have
definitely had my fair share of injuries throughout my time as a tennis player.
In addition to needing X-Rays due to fracturing my wrist twice, I also
experienced a strange pain in my foot about two years ago. The pain was
constant, but I was still able to play on it normally. I opted for an X-Ray
after the pain never subsided after a few weeks. I ultimately ended up getting
an MRI, where the doctors found that I had a grade 4 stress fracture in the second metatarsal of my foot. As Silvia Casini points out, the advancements in medical technology is pretty impressive as MRIs are “unsurpassed in showing anatomical detail and in the
capacity to reveal minute changes that occur over time.” Essentially, due to the incredible technology connected
to medicine, nowadays MRIs can pretty much show every detail when it comes to
bones and ligaments.
Additionally, one of the most captivating topics this week was the artist
Orlan. Orlan uses plastic surgery in order to change her look to find her
version of beauty (Orlan). When watching the video of Orlan, another example that
came to my mind was Jocelyn Wildenstein. Wildenstein is a famous socialite who is
known for her extreme use of plastic surgery. She showcases just how it easy it
is to become obsessed with critiquing one’s image in order to be "beautiful." However,
it is quite unfortunate to see this extreme case as I believe most agree that
she was far more naturally beautiful prior to all of the surgeries.
All in all, this week’s topic of art and medical technology was perhaps my favorite so far. This is because I was able to relate it to many real-life circumstances in my own life and others as well.
Works Cited
Win, Brian. “Jocelyn Wildenstein Before & After Surgery Pictures.” Plastic Surgery Diary, Plastic Surgery Diary, 24 May 2017, plasticsurgerydiary.com/jocelyn-wildenstein-before-after-pictures/.
Leavitt, Jennifer. “Anatomy As Artwork .” Medscape Log In, 2017, www.medscape.com/slideshow/anatomy-as-artwork-6008709.
Works Cited
Aspen Physio. “Metatarsal Stress
Fracture.” Aspen Phsyiotherapy Services, 2017. Web. 28 April 2019 https://aspenphysio.co.uk/metatarsal-stress-fracture/
Casini, Silvia. “Magnetic Resonance Imaging
(MRI) as Mirror and Portrait: MRI Configurations Between Science and Arts.”
(n.d.): n. pag. Web. 28 Apr. 2019.
Win, Brian. “Jocelyn Wildenstein Before & After Surgery Pictures.” Plastic Surgery Diary, Plastic Surgery Diary, 24 May 2017, plasticsurgerydiary.com/jocelyn-wildenstein-before-after-pictures/.
MutleeIsTheAntiGod. “Orlan - Carnal Art (2001)
Documentary.” YouTube, YouTube, 13 Mar. 2011, www.youtube.com/watch?v=no_66MGu0Oo.
Leavitt, Jennifer. “Anatomy As Artwork .” Medscape Log In, 2017, www.medscape.com/slideshow/anatomy-as-artwork-6008709.
It was interesting to read about your injuries as an example relating to the drastic advancements in medical technology over the years. It is crazy to think about how far technology has come in the past several hundred years that allow doctors to be more precise and accurate than ever, which is also helping more people. It was also sad to see how plastic surgery I suppose, 'ruined' Wildensteins face, as it looked much better before. Initially, plastic surgery was used to aid in accidents/injuries that happened to soldiers in war to help restore their face structure as much as possible. So it is sad to see that it is used for unnecessary reasons, so to say, today.
ReplyDeleteHi Helena,
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed reading your blog post and the connections you made in your life to this week's topic. Your personal connection to your injuries and the x-rays can serve as an example of how we have benefitted from the innovations of medical technology. Also, plastic surgery is another example of how we have benefitted from the advancements of technology, despite people abusing it and using it for superficial reasons rather than for repairing damage bodily parts.
Hello Helena,
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed your blog post for this week because I felt that you were able to relate it to your own life. Your connections to the readings and lecture were clear and defined, and I appreciate how open you were about how MRI's can seriously have a benefiting impact. For me, CT scans proved very critical in diagnosing the chronic illness that I have. All in all, the medical technological advancements have really put us in a place where we can have confidence in the doctors that are assisting us. Great insight overall!
Best,
Sebastian Haworth
I find it fascinating that you tied in the art of X-rays with your personal experiences. I have never thought about the beauty of it before, as I have been more STEM-oriented all my life. It was always something that seemed very functional to me, with little artistic value. I also like that you touched on plastic surgery and the social implications of it. In my opinion, it is probably one of the most widespread form of "art" in our world today. In a generation that is so obsessed with our self-image, we spend a long time looking into the mirror everyday, examinig our own beauty. Good reflections!
ReplyDelete