The perception of medicine as an exact science, I would argue does not accurately reflect the discipline. I would suggest that there is an art to medicine, which is unrelated to science. Within recent years there has been a stronger significance on holistic care, that aims to treat the patient not the disease.
Much of research attests to the benefits in consulting holistic care by understanding a patients’ history and integrating mental health within physical health, as the two are closely interconnected (Davis, A. and Davis, M. 2013). I would argue that the arts can provide further valuable skills regarding holistic care and even ethical responsibility.
There are many similarities between the arts and science that aren’t often highlighted. One key element that connects the two is creativity; scientists and artists both experiment in order to make sense of the world we live in and understand ourselves (Rothenberg, A. 2006). However, I would suggest that much of artistic expression is commonly seen as a therapeutic mechanism instead of a research tool.
The Neuroscientist Harvey Cushing is a key example of communicating the importance of art within medicine (The Cushing Center. 2013). Cushing was formerly an arts student, before pursuing his medical career as a physician. Throughout his medical career he illustrated much of his operations, showing the power of illustration over photography (The Cushing Center. 2013). Unlike taking photographs, drawing a patients’ illness can enable the illustrator to enhance certain features and manipulate what the viewer sees (The Cushing Center. 2013). This can be key in getting a better understanding of medical operations that photography could not achieve, at least not without some degree of photo manipulation.
As well as the arts providing visual research for medicine within operations, I would argue that the processes within art theory can be extremely valuable within medicine. As an art history undergraduate, much of art theory concerns reflective learning, by enquiring and questioning artworks in order to decipher a meaning. Many of these questions concern ethical issues also, which can be applied within the hospital landscape, as policy makers and hospital ethics committees often need to provoke ethical and moral questions regarding the human body (Wilson, S. 2006).
Overall, I would argue that art provides the ability to have insightful discussions about medicine through reflective learning and questioning practise, as an artist would do. Instead of seeing art as a therapeutic and an addition to medicine, we should integrate art in order to provide medical professionals with the capability for empathy and to further question their practise as a healthcare provider.
References
Journal Article
Davis, A. and Davis, M. (2013) Art in Medicine and the Art of Grief. Progress in Palliative Care. (5) Vol 18, pp.266-269. [online]
Available at: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/citedby/10.1179/096992610X12775428636908?scroll=top&needAccess=true
[Accessed: 3rd January 2021]
Rothenberg, A. (2006) Creativity – The Healthy Muse. The Lancet. Vol.368, pp58-59 [online]
[Accessed: 10th January 2021]
Wilson, S. (2006) What Can the Arts Bring to Medical Training? The Lancet. Vol.368, pp515-516 [online
[Accessed: 11th January 2021]
Embedded Video
The Cushing Center. (2013) Harvey Cushing: The Artist. 30th January 2013. [online]
[Accessed: 12th January 2021]