Week 4 | Medicine + Technology + Art | The Art of Medicine

Heading to medical school this summer, I cannot recount how many times I heard the saying "art of medicine." Until this week's lecture by Professor Vesna, I never took into consideration the literal translation of "the art of medicine." After exploring topics including plastic surgery, MRI, and Ingber's work describing the architecture of life, I became convinced by the prevalent duality of art and medicine.

Initially, medicine was described as an art as learning through dissection and human anatomy, which is held as god's greatest creation and artwork since the human body is also yet another phenomenon where the golden ratio is prevalent.

This is a MRI image of a Chiari malformation after the application of digital color. One cannot help notice how MRI images like these may inspire decades of artistic endeavors and creations.

<http://radiology-files.blogspot.com/2013/05/chiari-malformation-arnold-chiari.html>

Today, MRI provides us with a less invasive solution to see into the human body. Besides its contribution to healthcare, MRI has also catalyzed a form of art according to Silvia Cassini. Just like how an artist utilizes basic fundamental training to create a portrait or reproduce an image based on his or her training and judgement, technicians who operate the MRI can be analogously compared. From a medical perspective, the MRI takes a photograph of the interior of a body. The artist, or radiologist/physician, controls how the images are taken. Similar to a blank canvas and pallet, two different artist will come up with completely different artworks even if they are drawing the same model.

Angela Palmer's MRI scan art video, which resembles the process of how MRI of the human body is acquired. The art not only progresses through the timeframe of the scanning process, but also the nature of the MRI allows us to see different layers of the art.

<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cn-wCiGjCeU>

The Variational Denoising of MRI datasets depicts the actual process of data acquisition for MRI. While this has pure scientific purposes, one can't deny the artistic element involved. It is also the science behind the process that led to the creation of the corresponding art.

<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MNMDtoY4jRQ>

The distinction between MRI being a science and art is merely the intent and purpose. These two videos, although they rely on fundamentally the same concept have different purposes and targeted audience. Nonetheless, both of these videos -- one regarding the pure aesthetics of MRI while other discusses the procedure of data acquisition -- are ultimately simply two sides of the same coin.

One of the articles that Professor Vesna assigned this week that I found particularly interesting was the hippocratic oath, which can be referred to as the founding guidelines for medical practice. Euthanasia is among one of the most controversial topics in medical sciences. Like art, medicine is also changing and based on each doctor's individual perspective on the best course of action, similar to how an artist creates his or her work based on their best judgement. And that's why "medicine is an art."

Hippocratic oath, which is the founding document of modern medicine. While the information is not written in today's language or medical development in mind, its fundamental guidelines remain a vital aspect for modern day healthcare providers to uphold through the lens of their best personal and professional judgement.

<http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/body/hippocratic-oath-today.html>

References:

Casini S. (2011). Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) as mirror and portrait: MRI configurations between science and the arts. Configurations 19, 73–99 10.1353/con.2011.0008

"Chiari I Malformation Mri by Living Art Enterprises and Photo Researchers."Fine Art America. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Apr. 2015.

Palmer, Angela. "Angela Palmer - Artist | MRI Scan Art Video." YouTube. YouTube, n.d. Web. 12 Apr. 2015.

Shihabuddin, Allama Mohammed. "Furqania Academy Waqf: Center for Research on Science of Qur'an and Hadith." Furqania Academy Waqf: Center for Research on Science of Qur'an and Hadith. Furqania Academy Waqf, n.d. Web. 12 Apr. 2015.

Tyson, Peter. "The Hippocratic Oath Today." PBS. PBS, 27 Mar. 2001. Web. 12 Apr. 2015.

"Variational Denoising of MRI Datasets." YouTube. YouTube, n.d. Web. 12 Apr. 2015.