Week 4: MedTech + Art
As we can see in the
classical version of the Hippocratic Oath, unlike today, the practice of
medicine used to be considered an art, and nowhere in the classical version
does the word "science" even appear. However, in the modern version
of the Hippocratic Oath, physicians are required to state: "I will
remember that there is art to medicine as well as science". While
physicians are required to acknowledge that medicine is an art form, the
scientific aspect of this practice has been added on.
The "Baby Incubator" exhibit at Coney Island
Yet when I think
about breakthroughs in medicine, especially regarding medical technologies and
techniques, they are often seen as highly controversial and initially not
widely accepted in the medical community. For example, the use of incubators on
premature babies was not accepted by the medical community initially, and the
first use of incubators in the United States was treated as more of an art
exhibition than an important medical practice. The "Baby Incubator"
exhibit was on display at Coney Island for many years, and visitors paid a
small fee of 25 cents to observe these babies in incubators. Now, incubators
are commonly used and found in every hospital, and even babies that are not
born prematurely are placed in one when they are first born.
Kevin Warwick using the microchip to control a robotic hand
http://www.focoblanco.com.uy/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/130816-Cerebro-humano-dentro-de-robot-02.jpg
In the same way,
many of the artist's works we looked at this week are considered to be
controversial today, seen more as art rather than viable medical procedures. In
the case of Kevin Warwick, he implanted a microchip into his left arm to link
his nervous system directly to a computer. As stated in our lecture video,
Warwick is able to operate doors, lights, heaters and other computers via this
microchip, experimenting with his own body to see if it could be used with the
disabled.
Christophe Luxereau's concept of mechanized shoulder blades
Christophe
Luxereau's work titled "Electrum Corpus" explores the idea of
mechanical organs in human bodies. He depicts concepts for mechanical shoulder
blades, heart, knees, feet, eyes, and hands, where "the machine is an
aesthetic and functional extension of the person."
All of these works,
from the Hippocratic Oath to the works of Warwick and Luxereau, point at the
intersection between art and medicine. What is initially seen as controversial
artwork, often times becomes an accepted part of medical science.
Sources
- Tyson, Peter. "The Hippocratic Oath Today." NOVA. Public Broadcasting Service, 27 Mar. 2001. Web. 29 Apr. 2017.
- Field, Chris. "Boardwalk Babes: The Strange Story of the Incubator." TheBlaze. TheBlaze, 19 Nov. 2014. Web. 29 Apr. 2017.
- "Project Cyborg 1.0." Kevin Warwick. Kevin Warwick, n.d. Web. 29 Apr. 2017.
- "Electrum Corpus." Christophe Luxereau. Christophe Luxereau, 2002. Web. 29 Apr. 2017.
- Vesna, Victoria. YouTube. UC Online Program, 22 Apr. 2012. Web. 29 Apr. 2017.
Hi Sarah, I find it very interesting that inventions such as baby incubators were widely controversial in medical fields back then, especially considering that in today's society, all hospitals have incubators for babies. I believe that as technology is advancing, society is slowly becoming more accustom to technology being a part of their lives, therefore bridging the gap between science, and in this case, medicine. I see this today as innovators are investigating more automated surgical procedures instead of surgeons for specific processes. However, the vast majority of us disagree and would much rather prefer humans to perform operations and medical procedures, even if they are considered minor operations. The reason being is we, as humans, don't trust the unknown, similar to how people felt when people started putting babies into new technological hubs. So, who knows? Perhaps decades from now, we'll look back at 2017 and scoff at the idea of us not wanting robotic procedures because these procedures will have become a pivotal part of medicine in the future.
ReplyDeleteGreat job Sarah!
ReplyDeleteFirstly, it is unbelievable to me that incubators for new born a were controversial! Thank god for technological adnances which has opened the world, especially medical professionals, to such life saving machines and inventions. If we didn't have these machines then even a sinus infection could potentially become fatal.
Secondly, this awareness of technology in the medical world seems to be the bridge between both cultures that we talked about earlier in the quarter.
Lastly, hopefully we can carry on being open to such advances as robotic surgery has started to develop. Nowadays instead of having to cut someone completely open for an operation such as kidney donation, the surgeon can sit behind the computer and let the robotic arms do the job for him/her so that the surgery is minimally invasive and the recovery time is vastly deminnished.
Hi Sarah!
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed reading your blog. I find it surprising that, like you have pointed out, the word "science" could not even be found in the original version of the Hippocratic Oath. I didnt notice that! It is incredible to see that the art of medicinal practice was so strongly upheld and appreciated by all practioners during that time.
It is also interesting to read about the several examples that you mentioned in the blogs, and I am especially impressed by the "Baby Incubator" exhibit. I think this example perfectly illustrates that while the incorporation of art into the medical technology used to be regarded as controversial, it is now becoming more widely accepted as an essentail part of medical science.