The Art of Medicine???

When I first saw that we would be writing on the topic on how science relates to art this week, I was very skeptical. How could the human imaging be used as art?

In the reading by Silvia Venezia, Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) as Mirror and Portrait: MRI Configurations between Science and the Arts, it states, “The appeal of brain imaging as a technique of self- portrait is powerful for an audience outside the medical field, because information is conveyed through images- for example, through MRI scans.” Venezia goes on to say, “A question like “what defines us as humans?” is believed to undergo a profound reconsideration because of research on the brain undertaken by neurosciences.” Like Diane Gromala mentioned in her TED talks presentation, our human qualities are defined not only from our experiences but also from our emotions. When looking at it from this point of view, I don’t know why I had doubts to begin with. In this way, medicine has helped create art that evokes our innate human qualities. What do we consider art? In my opinion, art exists to raise emotions in the viewer through expression and seeks to ask more questions than answer them. Art has also helped medicine become more relatable to the common viewer by using pictures, cartoons, and models.

One such model that has done this is the Medical Avatar by Virgil Wong. He created a visual app that uses scans of your body to predict past, present and future medical problems that will help people manage their healthcare. Using medicine in an art form that is accessible to a wide audience helps define us in ways that are more assessable and relevant to our lives now by helping us live longer and be healthier individuals.

 Pictured above is Virgil Wong (middle) and his collaborators on the Medical Avatar Project. 

Works Cited:

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

"Eve Andree Laramee." Eve Andree Laramee. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 Apr. 2015.

"TEDxAmericanRiviera - Diane Gromala - Curative Powers of Wet, Raw Beauty." YouTube. YouTube, n.d. Web. 24 Apr. 2015.

Tyson, Peter. "The Hippocratic Oath Today." PBS. PBS, 27 Mar. 2001. Web. 24 Apr. 2015.

"Virgil’s TED Talk: The Medical Avatar." Virgil Wong. N.p., n.d. Web. 24 Apr. 2015.