Medicine and Art - Week 4

Figure One: Bodyworlds

This week we focused on how the medicine, art and the body have all become related. For thousands of years people have been obsessed with the body, not only in terms of how it operates but also admiring it for its pure beauty. They have been able to examine the body through autopsy, "autopsy is the examination of the dead body with the idea of trying to find the cause of death in order to help befit the living" (1). It has not been until recently that the two worlds of studying the body for science and looking at the body as art have come together.

Autopsies have been around for 100s of years although "before 1500 C.E. the Catholic Church condemned the practice of autopsies" (2), the reason for this is that it was believed that god made the human body perfectly and that he was the only person that should be allowed to look inside of it. This all began to change in the 1500s when people began to be curious as to how we

Figure Two: Autopsy from the 1500s

could study the dead in order to help the living. This is when autopsies began to be widely used through out all of Europe. "In the early days over 50% of dead bodies were autopsied compared to the 5% that are autopsied today" (3) This shows us that looking at why he people died and taking a look into their bodies was a bit of a fad. While people don't perform autopsies as often today there is still a lot of curiosity about the body. When the bodies were dissected people began to discover how truly wonderfully the body is put together, the curiosity about how the body worked stayed.

Figure Three: The Body 

The body has always been looked to as art. A way we have been able to study the body while also looking to it as art is through Body Worlds which is an exhibit with real human bodies are put on display. The bodies have their skin removed in order for the viewer to be able to see what the bodies insides look like. "A scientific marvel and artistic wonder, the human body is an epic of form and function" (4) this quote embodies what Body Worlds is all about, it is a way for us (the everyday person) to be able to study the body and not get  grossed out because it is presented in an artistic way.

Throughout history the reasons why we want to look at the body have not changed. We look at it to help us learn more while looking at it for its beauty as well. The way that we examine the body is what has changed. Instead of just dissecting it we now have developed ways that we can both study the body and admire its beauty at the same time.


Bibliography

Pictures
Figure One:15 Feb. 2011. Web. 21 Apr. 2015. <http://bukeayrastiff.weebly.com/uploads/1/7/9/8/17983465/179575428_orig.jpg?342>.
Figure Two: "Examining the Dead to Understand the Living." Innovations. 29 Apr. 2011. Web. 21 Apr. 2015.
Figure Three: Hopkinslupus. 1 Oct. 2006. Web. 20 Apr. 2015. <http://www.hopkinslupus.org/wp-content/uploads/2009/06/How-Lupus-Affects-The-Body-300x299.jpg>.

Online Resources 
1.) Nnoil, Martin. "Clinical Autopsy and Its Benefits." Pmjumu. 1 Nov. 2012. Web. 21 Apr. 2015
2.) Cowles, Isabel. "Examining the Dead to Understand the Living." Innovations. 29 Apr. 2011. Web. 21 Apr. 2015.
3.)"History of Medicine." Healio. 10 Mar. 2008. Web. 20 Apr. 2015.
4.)"Prelude." Body Worlds. 7 Aug. 2010. Web. 22 Apr. 2015.