week 4

Dissection of human cadavers started so that artists could depict bodies correctly (Vesna). As a species, we have gained a better understanding of our bodies from the times of the ancient Greeks and the Renaissance as technology has progressed (Vesna).  

Andreas Vesalius

 Andreas Vesalius published a set of books on human anatomy in 1543 because the books of anatomy by Galen that all European scholars were following at the time were wrong because Galen had never dissected a human (Understanding Evolution). In 1858, Henry Gray published his book on human anatomy and published the second version with illustrations in 1860 (Henry Gray Biography). This book has become so famous that every artist that works with the human body has this book. 

Henry Gray's book of anatomy

            Plastic surgery and bionic limbs are both a by-product of war (Vesna). I found it fascinating that people in ancient India were using skin reconstruction hundreds of years ago. I thought that Orlan, the artist and performer who uses her body to question what it means to be beautiful by undergoing plastic surgery, was creepy (Vesna). She chooses body parts from classical paintings, like the Mona Lisa and Botticelli’s Venus and then has a live surgery where all participants are dressed in costume and she reads while being operated on (Vesna). 

Orlan

The idea of the perfect person is also illustrated in Steven Spielberg’s movie Artificial Intelligence, about an android that has the ability to love. The trailer has a voice saying that they are, “filling a 

Kevin Warwick

great human need” by creating the androids (A.I.: Artificial Intelligence). I found the bionic limbs to be very interesting because of their practical purpose as well. It is crazy they can attach a mechanical body part to a real human body and that the bionic limb will function as if it is really part of the body. Kevin Warwick is very famous for his work with artificial intelligence, robotics and biomedical engineering. He is one of only seven scientists to be selected by the Institute of Physics for his work, and the others are Galileo, Einstein, Curie, Nobel, Oppenheimer and Roblat (University of Reading).

Works Cited

A.I.: Artificial Intelligence. By Steven Spielberg. Prod. Steven Spielberg. Dir. Steven Spielberg. 2001.

"Henry Gray Biography." - Profile, Childhood, Life, Timeline. Famous People, n.d. Web. 23 Apr. 2015.

Understanding Evolution. "Comparative Anatomy: Andreas Vesalius." Comparative Anatomy: Andreas Vesalius. University of California Museum of Paleontology, 2015. Web. 23 Apr. 2015.

University of Reading. "Kevin Warwick - Home Page." Kevin Warwick - Home Page. University of Reading, England, n.d. Web. 23 Apr. 2015.

Vesna, Victoria. "Medicine + Technology + Art." Desma 9. UCLA, Los Angeles. 26 Apr. 2015. Https://cole2.uconline.edu/courses/346337/pages/unit-4-view?module_item_id=6472150. Web. 26 Apr. 2015.