The field of medicine stands to grow in leaps and bounds from the arts. One way that we've already discussed in lecture from Robert Lang's TED Talk. Lang explained how a crease pattern could expand to hold open a blocked artery to the heart. He even ended his talk with the statement that "someday, origami can save a life."
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| Origami Stent, a project by Zhong You |
To further the harmony between art and medicine, medical illustrations help others better understand the inner workings of the human body. A successful medical illustrator is such a niche skill because the illustrator must have a comprehensive knowledge of anatomy as well as the ability to replicate exactly what he observes in fine detail. One celebrated medical illustrator was Frank Netter, who published The Atlas of Human Anatomy and was dubbed the "Michelangelo of Medicine." Netter created over 4,000 medical images that are used by countless medical students today, which paves the way for technology and 3D imaging.
Bibliography
Bell, Susan. "Know How to Fold 'Em: How Origami Changed Science, From Heart Stents to Airbags." L.A. Weekly. N.p., 26 Apr. 2012. Web. 25 Apr. 2016. <http://www.laweekly.com/arts/know-how-to-fold-em-how-origami-changed-science-from-heart-stents-to-airbags-2372322>.
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| Netter, a watercolor plate that shows the muscles and veins of the head |
An Forbes article explains that "the medical illustrators in the future will likely use more 3D technology as key elements in their apps and illustrations, helping to pull layers apart to reveal the inner aspects and structure." Imagine surgeons practicing a surgery on a 3D program before performing it on a patient! The Forbes article also mentions that in the medical field, "it seems that students with more 'right brain' qualities–related to imagery, visual and drawing skills–have begun to emerge as more successful in today’s digital, image-based world of medicine". This seems to debunk the idea that medicine is solely about the hard sciences of biology and chemistry, and that the right-brain creativity comes in handy in medicine.
Diane Gromala's TED Talk about virtual reality also sparks some new ideas for medicine. Her explanation of VR's stress-relieving capabilities reminded me of art and music therapy, and it seems that VR has huge potential to advance those fields. VAN Beethoven came to the UCLA campus earlier this school year and was a visual music experience that could easily be recreated for the purpose of relaxation, and furthermore accessed by many of the general public with a VR headset.
Diane Gromala's TED Talk about virtual reality also sparks some new ideas for medicine. Her explanation of VR's stress-relieving capabilities reminded me of art and music therapy, and it seems that VR has huge potential to advance those fields. VAN Beethoven came to the UCLA campus earlier this school year and was a visual music experience that could easily be recreated for the purpose of relaxation, and furthermore accessed by many of the general public with a VR headset.
But to take VR even further, I think Gromala's experiment with a skeletal scan of her own torso could be broadened to an experience of the entire human body from the inside--Magic School Bus-style. Imagine the biology lessons that directly allow students to observe what DNA replication would look like inside of the body!
Bibliography
Glatter, Robert. "Can Studying Art Help Medical Students Become Better Doctors?" Forbes. Forbes Magazine, 20 Oct. 2013. Web. 25 Apr. 2016. <http://www.forbes.com/sites/robertglatter/2013/10/20/can-studying-art-help-medical-students-become-better-doctors/3/#2f30efbb29f0>.
Lang, Robert. "The Math and Magic of Origami." TED. TED, Feb. 2008. Web. 25 Apr. 2016. <https://www.ted.com/talks/robert_lang_folds_way_new_origami?language=en>.
Lerner, Barron H. "Frank Netter, MD: The Michelangelo of Medicine." The Atlantic. The Atlantic, 17 Sept. 2013. Web. 24 Apr. 2016. <http://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2013/09/frank-netter-md-the-michelangelo-of-medicine/279701/>.
"VAN Beethoven | LA Phil." VAN Beethoven | LA Phil. N.p., n.d. Web. 25 Apr. 2016. <http://www.laphil.com/vanbeethoven>.
Lang, Robert. "The Math and Magic of Origami." TED. TED, Feb. 2008. Web. 25 Apr. 2016. <https://www.ted.com/talks/robert_lang_folds_way_new_origami?language=en>.
Lerner, Barron H. "Frank Netter, MD: The Michelangelo of Medicine." The Atlantic. The Atlantic, 17 Sept. 2013. Web. 24 Apr. 2016. <http://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2013/09/frank-netter-md-the-michelangelo-of-medicine/279701/>.
"VAN Beethoven | LA Phil." VAN Beethoven | LA Phil. N.p., n.d. Web. 25 Apr. 2016. <http://www.laphil.com/vanbeethoven>.
I also found Robert Lang's TED talk to be interesting. It's fascinating to think that forms of art, such as origami, may one day be used in medicine. I never had thought about medical illustration before, but anatomy drawings are so detailed and precise, showing how complex of an artist one must be to create those drawings. You did a great job of showing how art and technology are continuing to be combined by further explaining how these medical illustrations will one day be 3D. I also really enjoyed watching your video of Van Beethoven! I didn't know he came to UCLA this year!
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