In lecture, Professor Vensa discussed the intersection of art, medicine, and technology, specifically art's impact on the medical field and our understanding of the human body. My experience breaking my sacrum last year allowed me to understand the importance of the intersection of art and medical technology. When I was told that I had a "3rd-degree stress reaction" in my sacrum, I did not even know where my sacrum was or what the difference was between a "2nd-degree" and a "3rd-degree" stress reaction. However, when I went to the doctors, they pulled up my MRI scan and explained what I saw. The MRI image allowed my doctor visually show me what was going on in my body, allowing me to understand my diagnosis. This image also allowed my doctor to accurately diagnose my stress reaction grade, enabling her to provide me with a recovery plan.
In “Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) as Mirror and Portrait: MRI Configurations between Science and the Arts,” Silvia Casini argues that MRI technology can be viewed as both a mirror and a portrait, reflecting both scientific and artistic aspects. In my experience described above, the MRI image served as a mirror, allowing me to see and understand what was happening inside my body.
I came across Virgil Wong's artwork when I looked through this week's additional materials. Virgil Wong is an "artist and digital technologist transforming human health." Virgil aims to use art and technology to help "people visualize how their health choices affect them physically." In his Symptom data portraits, Wong works with his patients with chronic diseases to create self-portraits that track their symptoms. These self-portraits allow his patients to visually understand what they are feeling, what type of activities or habits they do affect these symptoms, and communicate with their physicians.
https://www.virgilwong.com
Wong's artwork and my experience demonstrate the importance of visual representation in medicine. Medical technologies like MRI scans enable doctors to accurately diagnose and treat patients, while art like Wong's can help patients understand their diagnoses more intuitively and engagingly. Combining art and technology can create more effective and empathetic patient medical experiences.Works Cited
Art of Medicine, https://public.med.fsu.edu/emr/2008/fall/art.htm.
“Artist + Digital Technologist Transforming Human Health.” Virgil Wong, 28 May 2022, https://www.virgilwong.com/.
Casini, Silvia. “Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) as Mirror and Portrait: MRI Configurations between Science and the Arts.” Configurations, vol. 19, no. 1, 2011, pp. 73–99., https://doi.org/10.1353/con.2011.0008.
Marketing, RDS. “Sacral Insufficiency Fractures.” Radsource, 7 Dec. 2020, https://radsource.us/sacral-insufficiency-fractures/.
RADIO IQ | By. “Creating Healthy Life Habits through Art.” WVTF, 22 Sept. 2014, https://www.wvtf.org/health-medicine/2014-09-22/creating-healthy-life-habits-through-art.
Stuart. “VT Carilion School of Medicine Art Exhibit to Feature Medical Avatars.” The Roanoke Star News, 17 Nov. 2014, https://theroanokestar.com/2014/11/17/33032/.
Vesna, Victoria. “Human Body & Medical Technologies” Lecture. CoLE DESMA 9. April 24.
2023.. Web.
I really enjoyed reading your blog post. I thought it was really interesting how you brought your own experiences and related it to the content of this week's lectures. Even I've broken my arm and foot before, and had to go through numerous X-rays and MRI imaging, however, I previously had never considered these tools as artwork. However, I completely agree with you now that these imaging technologies produce artwork of each person's bone structure and inner body, and without these forms of art, it would be much much harder for doctors to diagnose patients.
ReplyDeleteHi Emma, thank you for sharing this personal story this week. In my blog post for the week I also shared a story of becoming paralyzed last year and learning where the sacrum was the first time through an unfortunate medical experience. I really liked how you compared your personal story with the art of Virgil Wong. I also found it very helpful when learning about my own diagnosis to see my MRI's and various other scans in order to have a better understanding of what is actually going on inside my body. I totally agree with you that artwork and personification of medical diagnosis can help all people, including doctors, be more empathetic and understanding toward people's circumstances. I loved how you brought together the intersection of art, medicine, and science in your post this week and I overall think you did an amazing job. I look forward to reading more of your posts as the quarter goes on and wish you a speedy recovery if you haven't already!
ReplyDeleteHi Emma! It is so interesting that we get to see what is going on inside our bodies due to these new technologies that use art to portray medical issues. I am sorry to hear the story about your injury, but liked how you connected it to this weeks topic. I sure it is something many people experience and are probably glad for how far we have come technology wise, though it is also due to the advancement in the art world as well for these machines like MRIs and X-rays. Before this lesson I had no idea how much art impacted medicine in this way.
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