MedTech + Art : Week 4

Prior to this week’s teachings, I thought that yes, art had some influence on the world of medicine but now, I realize it has a huge influence on the medical world. 

Since the beginning of time, humans have been fascinated by the workings of the human body and specifically, I learned, human dissection. Artists played a crucial role in human dissection during the Renaissance period because they had to accurately draw the findings. We’ve come a long way since that and now have X-rays and MRI machines. 

Technology and knowledge itself builds off of other ideas and without the early workings of those artists and the detailed depictions of the body they provided, who knows where we’d be now. 

Speaking of technology, nowadays doctors can examine what’s on the inside of the body and see what makes up the structure of what the artists drew during the renaissance period. X-rays and MRI machines reveal to the observer what is happening intrinsically and help to solve the problem from inside out. 

Personally, I am very thankful of modern day technology in the medical field because of all the injuries I’ve had with baseball. Surgery is something we take for granted as citizens but what’s interesting is that it’s not always been that way. 

The Hippocratic Oath, an oath traditionally taken by physicians, is one that attempts to uphold ethical standards. These standards include pro life, no surgery, and privacy among patients. However, over time due to various changes in society and it’s standards, the oath has now changed to be much more vague. I am personally a fan of the traditional oath but can see why it has changed over time.

Word Count: 282 

Works Cited

Bambach, Carmen. "Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History." Anatomy in the Renaissance. Web. 27 Apr. 2015.

"Kevin Warwick - Home Page." Kevin Warwick - Home Page. Web. 27 Apr. 2015.

Tyson, Peter. "The Hippocratic Oath Today." PBS. PBS, 27 Mar. 2001. Web. 27 Apr. 2015.

Vesna, Professor Victoria. "Medicine Part 1." YouTube. University of California. Web. 27 Apr. 2015.

"X-Rays: MedlinePlus." U.S National Library of Medicine. U.S. National Library of Medicine. Web. 27 Apr. 2015.