Sunday, April 24, 2016

Unit 4: MedTech + Art

https://wellcomecollection.org/dissection
http://biomech.media.mit.edu/portfolio_page
/running-powered-ankle-foot-prostheses/

Anatomy has always been a fascinating topic for both scientists and artists, and until people began studying human cadavers, none were knowledgeable about the human body (Lecture 1). Since the understanding of the human body developed from intertwined ideas of art and science, anatomy has grown immensely to influence the way medical technology has developed. Just as the artists use their bodies as mediums of art, each person is given their very own vessel of art that they have freedom to express in their own unique ways (Lecture 3). This is shown through technological advancements allowing those in need of prostheses to be mobile—un-inhibited by the unfortunate events that shortchange people of choosing free will. These developments allow people to experience the world in the bodies they are comfortable with. It gives people the opportunity to run a marathon, see the world, or even teach their child to ride a bicycle.

http://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/
neurology_neurosurgery/
centers_clinics/brain_tumor/diagnosis/
how-to-diagnose-brain-tumors.html

Technological developments such as MRIs present the opportunity to see inside the human body without invasive means, protecting the body from torn ligaments and even cancer (Lecture 2). The intelligence of MRIs helps save many lives by finding cancerous cells in bodies before it is too late to stop the spread (Casini). However, if it is detected too late to remove the growths, intense chemotherapy is usually done in attempt to cure the patient. 

Not only must the patient maintain the will to fight through cancer, but they also have to find the strength to survive the brutality of chemotherapy. I have witnessed the difficulties brought on by chemotherapy through my grandmother who passed from pancreatic cancer when I was eight. Chemotherapy involves the use of chemicals in order to kill cancer cells living in the body, but it kills healthy cells as well. It causes hair loss, nausea and vomiting, nerve damage, blood disorders, inability to eat, as well as possible “permanent damage to the heart, lung, liver, kidneys, or reproductive system. And some people have trouble with thinking, concentrating, and memory (Side Effects of Chemotherapy)”.

http://www.bigboxlabs.nl/Study-finds-Chemotherapy-Ineffective-97-percent-of-the-Time.html

As Kevin Warwick believes, we should pursue electronic methods rather than chemical medicine. It is important to continue to encourage medical advancements and find methods that target the problem rather than the whole body (Lecture 3).


Casini, Silvia. “Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) as Mirror and Portrait: MRI
Configurations Between Science and Arts.” (n.d.): n. pag. 26 Oct. 2012. Web. 24 Apr. 2016.

"Side Effects of Chemotherapy." Cancer.Net. 2012. Web. 24 Apr. 2016.
<http://www.cancer.net/navigating-cancer-care/how-cancer-treated/chemotherapy/side-effects-chemotherapy>.
           
Uconlineprogram. "Medicine Pt1." YouTube. YouTube, 21 Apr. 2012. Web. 24 Apr.
2016. <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ep0M2bOM9Tk>.

Uconlineprogram. "Medicine Pt2." YouTube. YouTube, 21 Apr. 2012. Web. 24 Apr.
2016. <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=psjnQarHOqQ>.

Uconlineprogram. "Medicine Pt3." YouTube. YouTube, 22 Apr. 2012. Web. 24 Apr.

2016. <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FIX-9mXd3Y4>.









1 comment:

  1. I really like how you compare the human body as its own piece of art that we use as our own medium. I also liked how you used prosthetics as an example of how medical technology is a way to help people make art when they have been injured.

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