In many ways medicine is an art. A surgeon for example can re-build a body using a scalpel like a paintbrush and the body like paint. Because one day I would love to become a doctor or better yet, a surgeon this week’s lessons interested me far more than the past weeks.
Surgeon
Peter Tyson’s “The Hippocratic Oath Today” was fascinating to me as it has been featured on practically every medical show that inspired me growing up. It was very interesting to see the changes made to the oath because of the changes in society’s moral ideas. In many ways the same interests a doctor had in the past such as treating patients regardless of the attitude towards a person still holds true.
The logistics and ethically excepted clauses are what changed. One field of medicine that is always in ethical question is plastic surgery. Plastic surgery as Dr. Vesna lectures about began because of World War, however, it has come a long way since. With new advancing technology, medicine is now able to change any part of the body, add prosthetic limbs, or remove any imperfections.
Prosthetic Eye
The use of art in medicine, however, has reached far more places than a surgical room. In Diane Gromala’s TEDtalk she talks about her work using virtually reality simulators to control chronic pain. In the past, there has been evidence of the surrounding interacting with the molecular biology of a person. For example, a powerful piece of art can evoke serotonin levels to rise, causing a reduction of stress and increasing your happiness. I believe using art to not only treat but hopefully to one-day cure hormone imbalances or pain disorders is absolutely brilliant.
Works Cited
Curative Powers of Wet, Raw Beauty. Perf. Diane Gromala. YouTube. TEDx, n.d. Web. <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cRdarMz--Pw>.
Medical Sign. Digital image. Custonwalks.com. N.p., n.d. Web. <http://www.customwalks.com/blog/post/snakes-sacred-dogs-and-the-hippocratic-oath-on-the-greek-island-of-kos>.
Prosthetic Eye. Digital image. Ocular Prosthetics Inc, n.d. Web. <http://ocularpro.com/prosthetic-eye-services-los-angeles/custom-prosthetic-eye/>.
Surgeon. Digital image. Orthopaedic Care. N.p., n.d. Web. <http://www.orthopaediccare.net/orthopaedic-surgeons/>.
Tyson, Peter. "The Hippocratic Oath Today." PBS. Public Broadcasting Service, 27 Mar. 2001. Web. 01 May 2017. <http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/body/hippocratic-oath-today.html>.
Vesna, Victoria. “Http://www.youtube.com/v/psjnQarHOqQ.” Lecture. Medicine pt2 . Youtube, 21 Apr. 2012. Web. 25 Oct. 2012. <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=psjnQarHOqQ>.
I liked your comparison of surgery to art. I definitely agree that surgery is an art, for example suturing is about more than just stitching up a body, you have to make it look as beautiful as possible. As medical technology becomes more advanced, I am curious whether you think there will be a greater confluence of art and surgery. You use the example of plastic surgery and the prosthetic eye — artists now tattoo realistic nipples on women who have lost breasts to cancer, and create work with engineers to design increasingly realistic prosthetic limbs.
ReplyDeleteI agree about your comment on the Hippocratic oath. It is interesting how early media and television can reference multiple historical artistic and scientific tools like Grays Anatomy and the Hippocratic oath. Did the lectures this week intrigue you to look into new forms of surgery? I know that many technological advances give multiple new opportunities to the doctors and surgeons of tomorrow.
ReplyDeleteI never knew that art could actually cause serotonin levels to rise before I read your blog post. I also wrote about Diane Gromala's invention of a VR meditation because I thought it was brilliant and creative. I think there is a lot more to be done with using art as a way to relieve pain and balance hormones.
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