The Visible Human Project created detailed data sets of cross section photographs of the human body in order to facilitate anatomy visualization applications. A male and female cadaver were used, they were cut into thin slices and photographed. The bodies themselves caused an ethics debate. The male cadaver is Paul Jernigan, a murderer executed by Texas, he donated his body for scientific research at the prompting of a prison chaplain. The female cadaver was a 59 year old donor who remains anonymous, she has been described as a housewife who died of a heart attack. It is often theorized her husband donated her without her consent.
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| Male & Female Cadaver |
We often take X-rays for granted, but they are an intrinsic part of our society. In 1895 Wilhem Rontgen produced and detected electromagnetic radiation in a wavelength today known as X-rays or Rontgen rays. "X"- rays were a mathematical designation for something he didn’t know. He x-rayed his wife and it showed her wedding ring and her bones, she exclaimed “I have seen my death”. This electrified the scientific community and raised great scientific interest.
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| X-Ray |
Most medical technology came out of war, but plastic surgery has been around since 4,000 years ago. It comes to us from the east, physicians in ancient india were using skin grafts for reconstructive work as early as 800 B.C. The word plastic does not mean artificial, it is derived from the ancient greek word plasticos which means to give mold or to give form. WWI made plastic surgery necessary, the best medical talents devoted themselves to reconstructing faces and lives during and after WWI.
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| Harold Gillies |
Orlan, a french artist has been engaged in body performance art since the 70's. She uses plastic surgery to define herself and engage the idea of what is beauty. Beginning in the 90's she started a series of surgical performances that were live, videotaped, and quite a spectacle. She brought a lot of attention to what it means to be beautiful, what it means to age, and how much control do we have over our look. While being performed on, she read philosophical, literary, and psychological text. Her objective was to embody the visions of beauty created by renowned artists throughout history.
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| Orlan |
Sources:
Harold Gillies. Digital image. Web. 24 Apr. 2016. <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harold_Gillies>.
Orlan. Digital image. Web. 24 Apr. 2016. <http://oldsite.english.ucsb.edu/faculty/ecook/courses/eng114em/OrlanTOC.htm>.
X-Ray. Digital image. Web. 24 Apr. 2016. <http://bgfons.com/download/2541>.
Male & Female Cadaver. Digital image. Web. 24 Apr. 2016. <https://www.cs.purdue.edu/homes/cs530/projects/project2.html>.
MutleeIsTheAntiGod. "Orlan - Carnal Art (2001) Documentary." YouTube. YouTube, 2011. Web. 24 Apr. 2016.
"Medicine Pt3." YouTube. Web. 24 Apr. 2016.
Tyson, Peter. "The Hippocratic Oath Today." PBS. PBS, 2001. Web. 24 Apr. 2016.
"The National Library of Medicine's Visible Human Project." U.S National Library of Medicine. U.S. National Library of Medicine. Web. 24 Apr. 2016.
"The History of Cosmetic Surgery - How It All Began." Robinson Cosmetic Surgery, Denver, Colorado. 2015. Web. 24 Apr. 2016.
Hi, you have shown that you understand the video materials, in which I also like the example about Orlan. She is a real artist, who has devoted herself to create art. With the plastic surgeries, her face is artistic and her body is artistic. Her spiritual is artistic as well. She applied new medical technology to creating new forms of art. Her idea is very novel and innovational.
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