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Week 4 - Medicine + Technology + Art

As an artist, an understanding of anatomy is a necessity for realistic human illustrations. I frequently use anatomical references myself for guidance whenever I'm drawing people. In Vesna's lecture videos, she explains that the dissection of the human body during the Renaissance helped both artists understand anatomy for their drawings and scientists document the findings for medical purposes. She jokingly attests that every artist that works with the body has Henry Gray's Anatomy on their book shelf, despite it being written for the medical community. However, this confidence and knowledge of human body is leading technology towards bodily modifications that step outside of plastic surgery.

Female Anatomy Reference - condensed version by ReneeViolet

Professor Kevin Warwick at the University of Reading is experimenting with the concept of cyborgs - a human fused with computer parts. He underwent surgery to install a silicon chip in his forearm. This allows his computer to monitor his movements throughout the office department and correspondingly operate lights and doors without having to manually handle any devices. In one perspective, this type of development strikes me as something that was only possible in science fiction and I'm simply awed by how far we've only during my lifetime. On another hand, I realize that there are also complications with further research in this field, as emphasized in Warwick's article.

Cyborg Surgery by jpc-art

As these type of bodily augmentations becomes less risky, the question becomes this: where should we draw the line when it comes to changing our own bodies? There is a possibility that people will misuse or overuse these cyborg implants, possibly even in the pursuit of artistic expression. As a response, we tread carefully upon the usage of this practice. Tyson's article examines the argument that the Hippocratic Oath, despite being one of the oldest and most iconic traditions, needs to be drastically modified to suit modern standards or thrown away altogether. I believe the former action should be taken, as it is the medical community's responsibility to redefine boundaries to these surgical procedures when new technologies become at their disposal.

Hippocrates by Peter Paul Rubens

Sources

jpc-art. Cyborg Surgery. 2009. DeviantArt, www.pc-art.deviantart.com/art/Cyborg-Surgery-141390521. Accessed 30 Apr. 2017.

"Medicine pt1." Online video clip. Youtube, uploaded by Victoria Vesna, 21 Apr. 2012, www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ep0M2bOM9Tk.

"Medicine pt3." Online video clip. Youtube, uploaded by uconlineprogram, 22 Apr. 2012, www.youtube.com/watch?v=FIX-9mXd3Y4.

"Project Cyborg 1.0." Kevin Warwick, www.kevinwarwick.com/project-cyborg-1-0/. Accessed 30 Apr. 2017.

ReneeViolet. Female Anatomy Reference - condensed version. 2013. DeviantArt, www.reneeviolet.deviantart.com/art/Female-Anatomy-Reference-condensed-version-383181954. Accessed 30 Apr. 2017.

Rubens, Peter Paul. Hippocrates. 1638. National Library of Medicine, Maryland. NOVA, www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/body/hippocratic-oath-today.html. Accessed 30 Apr. 2017.

Tyson, Peter. "The Hippocratic Oath Today." NOVA, 27 Mar. 2001, http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/body/hippocratic-oath-today.html. Accessed 30 Apr. 2017.

Warwick, Kevin. "Cyborg morals, cyborg values, cyborg ethics." Ethics and Information Technology, vol. 5, no. 3, 2003, pp. 131-137, www. citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/download?doi=10.1.1.543.7907&rep=rep1&type=pdf. Accessed 30 Apr. 2017.

Comments

  1. UnknownMay 3, 2017 at 10:32 PM

    I agree with you in that drawing the line when it comes to changing our own bodies is an issue that society should probably address soon, especially since medical technology keeps advancing every month. I feel like this line can be expanded to plastic surgery as well. There must certainly be a point where too much plastic surgery begins to smudge a patient's identity. For instance, there are often viral images of KPop ideals pre and post debut. Comments always flood about how they look like completely different people. I believe that a line must also be drawn here.

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