Week 1: "Two Cultures"

The division of “physical scientists” and “literary intellectuals,” better colloquially defined as “two cultures”, represents the separation of art and science (Snow 4). This divide can be directly observed through the North and South campus separation at UCLA (see below), with North campus focusing on art and South campus on science. As a South campus major, I have relied heavily on visual depictions in textbooks, which inherently illustrates the connection between science and art.



Nitya Tak and Justing Jung via the Daily Bruin


Historically, many people have bridged the “two cultures”; one of them being Leonardo da Vinci. I have only ever known Leonardo da Vinci to be a world class artist known for painting the “Mona Lisa,” however he also made significant contributions to science via anatomically accurate depictions of the human body.












Leonardo Da Vinci via The Royal Collection ©2011, Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.


Through this, I stumbled upon an entirely new career: medical illustration. To be a medical illustrator, one possesses some range of education in science and art, and often a master’s degree in medical illustration (Association of Medical Illustrators). Medical illustrators highlight the interwovenness of art and science. Without anatomically accurate textbook images, students cannot properly learn anatomy and thus science by association, however a lack of emphasis is placed on the profession’s importance. There are only fived certified masters programs in North America. The repercussions of this shortage are seen in “perpeptual errors” in depictions of the cranial nerve (Prestigiacomo). The lack of certified medical illustration programs may play a role in this as not all medical illustrators will have a master’s degree. To mitigate inaccuracies, the education of medical illustrators needs to be prioritized and made more accessible. 


This division of science and art has ultimately led to setbacks in the progression and study of medicine and has led me to reflect on how UCLA has attempted to bridge the gaps in science and art as well as where further improvement is necessary. I do think UCLA is attempting to bridge the two, whether it be intentional or not, by having science classes, like MCD Bio 138 in Bunche Hall, an infamous North campus building, and general education requirements that encourage and mandate students to take courses that span past their field of study. However, the stereotypes associated with each still prevail making further integration of science and art critical and necessary.


 Works Cited

“Graduate Programs.” Association of Medical Illustrators (AMI), ami.org/medical-illustration/enter-the-profession/education/graduate-programs. Accessed 5 Apr. 2024. 

Jones, Roger. “Leonardo da Vinci: anatomist.” The British journal of general practice : the journal of the Royal College of General Practitioners vol. 62,599 (2012): 319. doi:10.3399/bjgp12X649241

“Learn about Medical Illustration.” Association of Medical Illustrators (AMI), www.ami.org/medical-illustration/learn-about-medical-illustration#:~:text=The%20majority%20of%20medical%20illustrators%20in%20the%20profession%20have%20a,Health%20Education%20Programs%20(CAAHEP). Accessed 5 Apr. 2024. 

Prestigiacomo, Charles J. “Editorial. perpetuating errors in medical illustration: Where do we draw the line?” Journal of Neurosurgery, vol. 127, no. 1, July 2017, pp. 189–191, https://doi.org/10.3171/2016.3.jns153041. 

Snow, Charles Percy. The two cultures and the scientific revolution: The Rede Lecture, 1959. University Press, 1959.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Week 2: Math and Art

Image
T his week’s lecture and reading heavily discussed Fibonocci’s number, which is the “ sequence of numbers 1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 21, …, each of which, after the second, is the sum of the two previous numbers'' (Britannica). This is better known as the “golden ratio.” I have only seen the golden ratio related to architecture. I never thought to examine it in other art forms. However, the Fibonacci sequence often comes in handy for crochet design and measurements (Press Reader). Below, I have included how the sequence can appear in basic blanket designs. Fibonacci’s number isn’t only present in art, but also in science. Plants in nature have been shown to exhibit this ratio. Sunflowers are just one of many plants that exhibit this; their seeds spiral in a pattern that reflects Fibonacci’s number and the golden ratio (National Museum of Mathematics). An example can be seen of a sunflower exhibiting the golden ratio below. This highlights that art, math, and science are very closel...
Read more

Week 7: Neuroscience and Art

Image
T his week’s topic “Neuroscience and Art” has me thinking about the brain and how it processes information, including art. Art can be consumed in many different ways. Two examples are visually and auditorily, both of which are processed by the brain in slightly different ways. Visual information is “processed by an intricate system of interconnecting neurons, which begins with the optic nerve in the eye up to the visual processing center in our forebrain called the visual cortex” (Huff et al.). View diagram below for visualization of visual processing.  Via All About Vision As for auditory processing, the “outer ear directs sound waves to your eardrum and causes it to vibrate. These vibrations move through your middle ear and into your inner ear. Finally, these signals travel to your brain, which translates them into what you hear” (Cleveland Clinic). View below for a diagram depicting how auditory processing occurs.  Via University of Minnesota Libraries In addition to the p...
Read more

Week 9: Space and Art

Image
M ovies have always been the most interesting form of art. I couldn’t quite understand why until I read an article where the writer detailed “movies are the highes t art form because it takes writing, story, photography, drawing, painting, concept art, animation, visual effects, music, acting” (ActionVFX). This made me reflect on movies as a whole and realize that many famous action movies center around outer space. Space and art are unique in that they interplay with one another and help us to create fictional worlds and even theorize about the unknown. A few examples of the highest-grossing movies of all time that include space components are Avengers: Endgame and Star Wars VII: The Force Awakens (Box Office Mojo).  Both of these movies take on a unique art form that weaves space and space travel into the genre.  Via IMDb This pushed me to realize one of my favorite movies of all time sits directly at the center of space and art: Interstellar. “ When Earth becomes uninhabit...
Read more