Week 4: Medtech + Art

This week the professor talked about the overlap of med tech and art. I have never thought about the intersection between the two fields so this week’s material is truly inspiring. 

At the very beginning, the presence of art in medical technology starts in anatomy. The anatomical illustration of the human body resonates with art in terms of the texture of muscles in human bodies and gives us a sense of how our bodies look underneath our skin (Saenger). Leonardo da Vinci drew the human body in his work, The Vitruvian Man, and is a perfect example of how art entered the medical space (Thomas). Studies have shown that in modern medical education, interdisciplinary courses like “art in Anatomy” could better engage with students and stimulate their creativity and thus better understand the concepts in anatomy (Chun). 

Picture 1: The Vitruvian Man (da Vinci)


One useful application that combines medical technology and art is the prosthetic limbs. The development of prosthetic limbs allows the disabled to live a more quality life. Study has further shown that with the use of art, the public attitude toward the amputees changed and artistically decorated prosthetic limbs can significantly raise the amputees’ confidence and thus improve their social lives (TNSRes). 


Picture 2: decorated prosthetic limbs (Alleles Design Studio)


Moreover, further applications include plastic cosmetic surgeries, indicating that people are pursuing aesthetic beauty in their looks by utilizing medical technology. Plastic surgery was initially developed to help soldiers who had serious facial damage during the war. As technology develops, more and more people get access to plastic surgeries and even pursue cosmetic surgeries to satisfy their high beauty standards. Although technology is advanced, the quality of the results of cosmetic surgeries and the risks involved depend on surgeons’ appreciation of beauty (Sepehripour and Henderson). 


Picture 3: Plastic cosmetic surgery (Sollazzo)

Works Cited:

Chun, Saewon, et al. “Art in Anatomy for Interactive Hands‐on Learning: A Descriptive Study.” The FASEB Journal, vol. 36, no. S1, 2022, https://doi.org/10.1096/fasebj.2022.36.S1.R2488.

Da Vinci, Leonardo. “The Vitruvian Man.” Wikipedia, 1490, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vitruvian_Man. April 26, 2024

McCauley Wanner and Ryan Palibroda. “Prosthetic limbs.” Alleles Design Studio, July 6, 2018, https://nypost.com/2018/07/06/this-design-duo-turns-prosthetic-limbs-into-works-of-art/. April 26, 2024. 

Sepehripour, Sarvnaz, and James Henderson. “The Historical Relationship between Art and Plastic Surgery: Is This Relationship Still Relevant to the Modern Plastic Surgeon?” Journal of Plastic, Reconstructive & Aesthetic Surgery, vol. 73, no. 4, 2020, pp. 783–808, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bjps.2019.11.042.

“University of Wales Trinity St. David: Exploring ‘Cool’ LIMB-Art Prosthetic Leg Covers’ Impact on Amputees and Public Attitudes Towards Them.” Targeted News Service, Targeted News Service, 2021.

Saenger, P. (2022, February 18). The human body laid bare in art - WSJ. Wall Street Journal. https://www.wsj.com/articles/the-human-body-laid-bare-in-art-11645220335 


Thomas, Diana M et al. “Revisiting Leonardo da Vinci's Vitruvian Man Using Contemporary Measurements.” JAMA vol. 323,22 (2020): 2342-2343. doi:10.1001/jama.2020.3501

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