cassiedoddDESMA9 Week 4 Medicine + Art + Technology

This week’s lecture material reshaped the way I view the relationship between medical technology and art. I had never considered medicine to be an art form, especially when thinking back to early herbal treatments. However, when compared to today’s highly technological practices, it becomes clear that there is a strong artistic element involved. Earlier in the quarter, we explored how art and science are deeply intertwined, but I had always assumed that the medical field was purely scientific. This week’s insights challenged that belief, highlighting the artistry involved in modern medical practices.

Body Worlds by Gunther von Hagens was the exhibit that captured my attention the most. At first, I found it a bit unsettling as seeing the human body so exposed is definitely not something I am used to. Although, the more I looked at it, the more I began to appreciate how it encourages us to see the body as more than just a biological system. There’s a kind of beauty in its complexity and movement that we as a society often overlook. We usually associate beauty with what’s on the outside, but this artwork made me realize how much we take the mechanisms of our bodies for granted. It also made me think of Andreas Vesalius and his early anatomical studies, which similarly tried to show the body as something worth understanding and appreciating on a deeper level.


Gunther von Hagens' BODY WORLDS Vital Video

The advancements in technology today is fascinating, particularly in how they allow us to explore the human body without any invasive procedures. Wilhelm Röntgen’s invention of the X-ray revolutionized both the medical and artistic fields by providing a new look inside the body. Now, with the addition of MRI and CAT scans, both doctor and artists can gain a detailed view of human anatomy without resorting to surgery.

Wilhelm Roentgen's first human X-ray of his wife's hand in 1895

A notable example of this is the Visible Human Project, which examines the anatomical differences between male and female bodies. It offers a unique insight to appreciate the distinctions between the two while finding a deeper understanding and respect for both forms.

The Visible Human Project - Head of a Male

It’s clear now that medicine is far from being purely scientific as it inherently contains artistry that not only helps us understand the body but also allows us to appreciate its beauty in ways which we might not have thought about. As technology continues to advance, how might future innovations in medical imaging further help both science and art, and what new perspectives on the human body might they reveal?


Image Citations:

Enoch, Nick. “Roentgen’s First Human X-Ray of His Wife’s Hand in 1895.” Mail Online, Daily Mail, 29 Dec. 2018, www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-6491287/Roentgens-human-X-ray-wifes-hand-1895.html.“

Gunther von Hagens’ BODY WORLDS Vital at Life Science Centre, Newcastle UK.” Www.youtube.com, www.youtube.com/watch?v=9b7cGA032mQ.

Hagens, Gunther von, and Angelina Whalley. Gunther von Hagens’ Body Worlds. 2005. NCI Australia. “The Visible Human Project - Head of Male Cadaver.” YouTube, 12 Aug. 2013, www.youtube.com/watch?v=ojCNUoVfzh4. Accessed 26 Apr. 2025.


Source Citations:

“Andreas Vesalius - the Medical Renaissance in England, C.1500-c.1700 - Edexcel - GCSE History Revision - Edexcel.” BBC Bitesize, www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/guides/zktrg7h/revision/2.

“Human.” Körperwelten, bodyworlds.com/exhibitions/human/.

Strange, Theodore, et al. “Medicine: Both a Science and an Art | Northwell Health.” Jamanetwork.com, 30 Apr. 2024, www.northwell.edu/news/insights/medicine-both-a-science-and-an-art.]

Tubiana, M. “Wilhelm Conrad Röntgen et la découverte des rayons X” [Wilhelm Conrad Röntgen and the discovery of X-rays]. Bulletin de l'Academie nationale de medecine vol. 180,1 (1996): 97-108

“Visible Human Project: Normal Anatomy | E-Anatomy.” IMAIOS, www.imaios.com/en/e-anatomy/whole-body/visible-human-project.

‌Vesna, Victoria. “Medicine + Technology + Art” Bruin Learn (2025)


Comments

  1. evy_haynes_desma9April 27, 2025 at 5:33 PM

    Hi Cassie! I really liked how you talked about the complexity of biological systems and how that relates to art. I also thought looking at the human body so exposed was a bit unsettling. Thanks for a good post!

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

cassiedoddDESMA9 Week 2 - Math + Art

Image
Buckminster Fuller once said, “Everyone is born a genius, but the process of living de-geniuses them.” Nowhere is this more evident than in the way we often separate disciplines like art and mathematics; however, contrary to belief, they are deeply intertwined.  I always viewed mathematics and art as completely separate and entirely distinct from each other, almost on opposite ends of the spectrum. However, these lectures and readings have shown me how mistaken I was. It has revealed that mathematics is key to creating perspective in art, allowing artists to represent three-dimensional space on a two-dimensional surface. By using geometric principles like vanishing points and angles, artists can add depth and realism to their work. A vanishing point is where parallel lines seem to meet far away, providing the illusion of depth (Marc Franz). It’s basically a visual trick rooted in geometry that helps our brains believe we’re looking into a three-dimensional space, even though it’s j...
Read more

cassiedoddDESMA9 Week 3 Robotics + Art

Image
Surprisingly, the relationship between industrialization and art started with something as simple as the printing press. While Gutenberg usually gets the spotlight, it was actually invented much earlier, around 1040, by the Chinese (Hoh, Anchi). This invention changed the way knowledge was produced and shared. Suddenly, books could be mass-printed, making information way more accessible than ever before. Walter Benjamin touches on this in The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction , where he explains how this shift didn’t just affect how art was made and distributed but also transformed how people experienced it. According to Benjamin, reproducing art on a large scale stripped it of its “aura”; however, it opened a door for more people to engage with art in previously impossible ways. In other words, it was a trade-off that helped shape the modern world ( Benjamin, Walter ). Illustration of the early printing press (left) alongside Walter Benjamin’s The Work of Art in the A...
Read more

cassiedoddDESMA9

Image
  The series of novels Strangers and Brothers by C.P. Snow investigates the concept of the 'two cultures,' which originally addresses the divide between the rich and the poor. However, it has often been misinterpreted, with the term 'two cultures' being mistakenly understood as referring to the divide between the humanities and science, a distinction that can still be found in everyday life.  I’m a political science major, which kind of feels like I’m living in both the humanities and the sciences at the same time, so I bounce between North and South Campus. And let me tell you, even though I’ve had classes on both sides, it’s pretty obvious that each one has its own vibe. North Campus is all about greenery—lots of gardens, and the sculpture garden is the perfect spot to chill, people-watch, or just listen to music while relaxing on a bench. Meanwhile, South Campus is more industrial, with a bit of an 'inner LA' feel—lots of concrete and grey, kind of like you...
Read more