Week 4: MedTech + Art

Week 4: MedTech + Art
April 25, 2017

Vesalius and the Body Metaphor
Mankind has come so far from previously archaic ways of studying the body (i.e. from slicing cadavers and hand-drawings) to some of the most amazing and technologically sophisticated and advanced ways of observing the body for the betterment of the physical human condition (i.e. x-ray imaging). Now we are able to create extremely advanced prosthetics for amputees, we have manipulated energy forms to allow us to see inside the body without cutting it open, and we have extremely delicate and advanced tools for surgery.

When I think of the combination of medicine, technology, and art, the first thing that comes to mind is 3-D printing. But not just any 3-D printing - 3-D printing organs, veins, and other body parts for the purposes of surgery. This mental rendering is influenced in part by my avid viewership of the medical TV series/drama, Grey’s Anatomy. To me, this show does an excellent job of intertwining those three realms and of showing that medicine and the technologies used for the betterment of physical human condition is a form of art. In one particular episode, Dr. Grey and Dr. Yang are at odds as to who can utilize the 3-D printer - Grey wanted to print portal veins for reconstructive surgery and Yang wanted to 3-D print a conduit for a heart. In the end, Yang overrides Grey’s process of printing portal veins to print the conduit. In another episode, the show demonstrates the usage of hologram technology to display a holographic heart so that the doctors could view one of their heart cases from every angle before ever putting a scalpel to skin. The idea that doctors can now literally and virtually print a part of the human body into 3-D form is so amazing to me and really brings together the idea that art and science, when used together, yield some of the most incredible creations.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IUnNXy0tAFE
Grey's Anatomy: We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together
Holographic Heart 


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LYdd5eOSq2c
Grey's Anatomy: Where Do We Go from Here 
3-D Printed Heart

References


Lynn, Marri. "Vesalius and the Body Metaphor." The Public Domain Review. N.p., n.d. Web. 25 Apr. 2017. <https://publicdomainreview.org/2013/04/18/vesalius-and-the-body-metaphor/>.

Mellgard, Peter. "Medical 3-D Printing Will 'Enable a New Kind of Future'" The Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com, 22 Apr. 2015. Web. 25 Apr. 2017. <http://www.huffingtonpost.com/peter-mellgard/medical-3d-printing-future_b_7088994.html>.

Reuters. "3D holograms help Israeli heart surgeons." CBS News. CBS Interactive, 07 Jan. 2014. Web. 25 Apr. 2017. <http://www.cbsnews.com/news/3d-holograms-help-israeli-heart-surgeons/>.

Rhimes, Shonda. "Grey's Anatomy: We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together." ShondaLand, The Mark Gordon Company, ABC Studios. ABC Studios. Los Angeles, CA, 1 May 2014. Web. 25 Apr. 2017.

Rhimes, Shonda. "Grey's Anatomy: Where Do We Go from Here." ShondaLand, The Mark Gordon Company, ABC Studios. ABC Studios. Los Angeles, CA, 29 Jan. 2015. Web. 25 Apr. 2017.

Ventola, C. Lee. "Medical Applications for 3D Printing: Current and Projected Uses." Pharmacy and Therapeutics. MediMedia USA, Inc., Oct. 2014. Web. 25 Apr. 2017. <https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4189697/>.

Comments

  1. tedatuclaMay 1, 2017 at 10:57 PM

    Hi! I enjoyed reading your post this week, as I too am interested in 3D printing technology. Although the examples you mentioned in your post were fictional, I thought it was fun to imagine where technology will take us in the near future. I think the biggest challenge with 3D printing in biomedical applications will have to do with longevity. Ideally, prosthetic organs will last a patient's entire life so they do not have to get repeated surgery. However, most 3D printing technology commercially available is not super durable. Nonetheless, I'm optimistic that future advances in materials technology and printing methods will soon solve these problems!

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