Week 4 - MedTech + Art

“For successful practice, a doctor has to be an artist armed with basic scientific knowledge in medicine.” (Panda) The debate of whether medicine should be classified as science or art is further explored in S.C. Panda’s “Medicine: Science or Art?”. He concludes in the end that medicine cannot exist without its art or science aspects. As all my family members apart from myself are doctors, I find myself agreeing with Panda. My sister, a radiologist, often says that radiology is an art and that each x-ray image or CAT scan is a unique artwork. According to East Tennessee State University’s Imaging Sciences website, "radiography is the art and science of using radiation to provide images of the tissues, organs, bones, and vessels that comprise the human body". In fact, there is an annual art competition at my sister’s hospital where radiologists find interesting x-ray images and transform them into little pieces of artwork.

Capital D appearing in x-ray image (provided by my sister)

Capital E appearing in x-ray image (provided by my sister)

Apart from radiology, my brother, a cardiovascular surgeon often reminds me that surgery is also a work of art. As Christopher F. Hyer explains in “When the Science of Surgery Becomes an Art”, like artists, "surgeons learn skills by training with others and honing their skills through individual enhancements". My brother once told me that every surgeon has a distinct way of doing the same surgery; every artist has a unique way of creating an art piece. 

The art of plastic surgery :P
http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/gossip/celebs-plastic-surgery-didn-gallery-1.29463?pmSlide=1.2000207

Perhaps the most obvious type of art form in medicine is plastic surgery. “The human body is their medium, the operating room their studio” (Cotter). In Holland Cotter’s “Artist’s Life: Cut, Nip and Tuck”, she suggests that every plastic surgery requires the surgeon’s creativity as each face is different and therefore, plastic surgery is an artform. 

Medicine and Art Exhibition at Mori Art Museum
http://we-make-money-not-art.com/archives/2010/02/medicine-and-art-at-the.php#.VThHAK1Viko

In conclusion, I believe Robert Pearl’s “Medicine is an Art, Not a Science: Medical Myth or Reality?” has the closest depiction of the relationship of medicine and art: “Make no mistake, medical practice is a skilled profession. And there is art to that skill, particularly in building good doctor-patient relationships and eliciting a clear patient history.”

References:

Cotter, Holland. "Artist’s Life: Cut, Nip and Tuck." The New York Times. The New York Times, 19 Apr. 2009. Web. 22 Apr. 2015. <http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/20/arts/design/20apex.html>.

Hyder, Christopher F. "When the Science of Surgery Becomes an Art." PodiatryToday. Podiatry Today, 11 Sept. 2011. Web. 22 Apr. 2015. <http://www.podiatrytoday.com/blogged/when-science-surgery-becomes-art>.

Panda, S.C. "Medicine: Science or Art?" Mens Sana Monographs. Medknow Publications, n.d. Web. 22 Apr. 2015. <http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3190445/>.

Pearl, Robert. "Medicine Is An Art, Not A Science: Medical Myth Or Reality?" Forbes. Forbes Magazine, 12 June 2014. Web. 22 Apr. 2015. <http://www.forbes.com/sites/robertpearl/2014/06/12/medicine-is-an-art-not-a-science-medical-myth-or-reality/>.

"What Is Radiography?" What Is Radiography? East Tennessee State University, n.d. Web. 22 Apr. 2015. <https://www.etsu.edu/crhs/alliedhealth/radiography/whatis.aspx>.