Week 4 - Medicine + Technology + Art - Blake Kirshner

 The human body is art. Not a single human being is perfectly identical with another. Some come very close, like twins for example, but even they aren't identical. Obviously there are outliers, but most everyone has two legs, two arms, one head, and two eyes. Within this structure, the differences can be so fascinating and diverse. Differences include color, size, shape, and even texture all around the body. Inside the human body is even more complicated, and for Andreas Vesalius to create "De Humani Corporis Fabrica" required intelligence and dedication to anatomy but also incredible artistic ability. He is called the founder of modern human anatomy because of his accurate illustration of the body and method of study. 

Andreas Vesalius Illustration

Even though medical practitioners today are able to use innovative technologies like X-rays, MRI's, and CAT scans to look inside the body, art is still a great help to the medicine world. For example, in understanding the human cell's cytoskeleton made up of filaments and microtubules "Tensegrity" is a big help. In understanding the physics and balancing of the cell, we can use cables with compression and tension to test theories (Ingber 49). 

Virgil Wong's Medical Mirror 

                                                              

Virgil Wong's Trigeminal Neuralgia

Above is an art project by Virgil Wong describing a condition called Trigeminal Neuralgia which alters nerves in the head to produce unpleasant electric shock typically on a particular side of the face. The picture has a list of symptoms that come with this condition and a data chart covering 30 weeks describing the effectiveness of the medicine. Other illustrations by Wong show the duality of what we can see with our eyes and what is going on underneath our skin. On the front page of Virgil Wong's website he says, "Medicine helps us live longer lives, but art is about why we live". This quote is very influential because everyone's purpose in life in one form or another comes form art. Human beings find purpose through many art forms, which is why I was fascinated by Virgil's capabilities. 

Image Sources 

Limited, A. (n.d.). . Andreas Vesalius (1514-1564): Andreae Vesalii bruxellensis, Invictissimi Caroli v. Imperatoris medici, de humani corporis fabrica libri septem, 1555. January 2008. McLeod 629 Vesalius muscles front stock photo. Alamy. Retrieved April 21, 2022, from https://www.alamy.com/andreas-vesalius-1514-1564-andreae-vesalii-bruxellensis-invictissimi-caroli-v-imperatoris-medici-de-humani-corporis-fabrica-libri-septem-1555-january-2008-mcleod-629-vesalius-muscles-front-image187823668.html 

 Artist + digital technologist transforming human health. Virgil Wong. (2022, April 3). Retrieved April 21, 2022, from https://www.virgilwong.com/ 

References

Human Body and Medical Technologies Part 1. Victoria Vesna. (2022, April 21). from https://bruinlearn.ucla.edu/courses/129896/pages/unit-4-view?module_item_id=4852512

Artist + digital technologist transforming human health. Virgil Wong. (2022, April 3). Retrieved April 21, 2022, from https://www.virgilwong.com/ 

Human Body and Medical Technologies Part 2. Victoria Vesna. (2022, April 21). from https://bruinlearn.ucla.edu/courses/129896/pages/unit-4-view?module_item_id=4852512

Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) as Mirror and Portrait: MRI Configurations between Science and the Arts. Silvia Casini. (2012). 

The Architecture of Life. Donald E. Ingber (1998). From https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/the-architecture-of-life/