Week Four: Medicine + Technology + Art

A large portion of my life has revolved around medicine, namely x-rays. When I was seven years old, I dislocated my right patella (knee cap) for the first time. Since then, I have dislocated my left patella five times and my right patella twenty more times. Now a college student, I've endured countless MRIs and x-rays, two surgeries, and half of the pre-med track in an effort to one day help children like myself by becoming a radiologist.

My desire to become a radiologist over any other type of doctor stemmed from my own experience of sitting in the doctor's office and examining the pictures that detailed the inside of my leg. The photo set seen above is of my own body, and that small chip is one of the body's strongest bone. While not an x-ray, the problems that were later fixed arthroscopically were diagnosed via radiological technology. I found, and still find, a lot of beauty in the colors of x-rays and what they demonstrate without ever being invasive. Of course, I have only Wilhelm Rontgen to thank, who published the first x-ray photograph in 1895. I do, however, relate to his wife who claimed to have "seen her death" upon viewing the picture. Personally, I think radiology is simultaneously the most lively medical speciality while being the one that relates to death the most. Looking at the bones, one can't help but think of skeletons and rotting away. There is, however, so much beauty in knowing the picture is a snapshot of life that could only previously be viewed so invasively that death was imminent.

In an effort to take my interests and relate them closer to this class, I looked into different types of art being made via radiology. I stumbled upon a website that showed artists creating x-ray prints of flowers, seashells, and simple machinery. I found that viewing every day objects through a different lens added a new layer to how I viewed the world. Even having seen my own bones, seeing a hamburger x-ray, an incredibly unusual light, really peaked my interest. I think it's absolutely amazing that artists see such diverse uses in technological advances. While the medical community is relatively one-tracked thinking (i.e. the MRI is to be used to see inside the body), I hope to retain the creative characteristics I'm recognizing in this class and remember in the future that every piece of equipment I'm utilizing has more purposes than I could ever begin to imagine.

Sources:

"The First X-Ray, 1895." TheScientist.com. Hannah Waters Lab X Media Group, 1 July 2011. Web. 28 Apr. 2017.

"History of X-Ray Art and Artists." Wordpress.com. Tony Lamont, 28 April 2013. Web. 29 Apr. 2017.

Vesna, Victoria. Medicine Pt. 1 https://cole2.uconline.edu/courses/684222/pages/unit-4-view?module_item_id=11226152

Vesna, Victoria. Medicine Pt. 2 https://cole2.uconline.edu/courses/684222/pages/unit-4-view?module_item_id=11226152

Vesna, Victoria. Medicine Pt. 3 https://cole2.uconline.edu/courses/684222/pages/unit-4-view?module_item_id=11226152

Pictures:

Jennifer Merritt. Digital Image. “Inside of My Leg.” 

Lab X Media Group. Digital Image. “The First X-Ray, 1895.” The Scientist. http://www.the-scientist.com/?articles.view/articleNo/30693/title/The-First-X-ray--1895/

Artist Unknown. Digital Image. “History of X-Ray Art and Artists.” Tony Lamont. https://xraypics.wordpress.com/history-of-x-ray-art-and-artists/