Week 4: Medicine + Technology + Art

E! Network's Television Show "Botched"

The origin of plastic surgery was the material that most influenced my understanding of this week’s topic on Medicine, Technology, and Art. My knowledge about plastic surgery up to this point was from what I learned from popular culture. Shows like Keeping Up with the Kardashians, Dr. 90210, Botched, and Nip/Tuck have shown us the artistic capabilities of plastic surgery in television. Living in West Los Angeles, I have been exposed to many people who have had plastic surgery procedures done to them. Plastic surgery to me was a way of staying young and making alterations to a part of you that you may not be comfortable with. In many ways, the cosmetic nature of plastic surgery is its primary function in contemporary society. This is not how plastic surgery was intended to be used when it was created. 

Examples of Reconstructive Facial Surgery during WWI

            Technology has made tremendous advancement during periods of war. Most notably was the creation of the Atomic bomb in WWII and biochemical weapons in WWI. These advancements came from the pressure of other countries achieving the task first. Advancements of weapons and technology were not the only developments being made. The creation of plastic surgery during WW1 gave rise to the cosmetic procedure of plastic surgery. World War One was the major event that made plastic surgery necessary in the medical field. Plastic surgery had been around for thousands of years prior in the East but did not come to the United States until the need for reconstructive surgery. It is important to note that “plastic” does not mean artificial, but rather it is derived from the Greek word “plastikos” which translates to give mold or give form. With the war came new ways in which reconstructive surgery was practiced. This means that medical advancements needed to be made to accommodate for this. Many soldiers began to lose body parts and even entire limbs. Plastic surgery was a way for them to receive reconstructive surgery that would attempt to return them to how they were before the attacks. Before learning this, I had only seen the connection to artistic expression with a medical alteration of the body. I assumed that it was created out of the want to conform to the ideal beauty standard. I had not seen it as a medical advancement that sprung out of the technological advancements that sprouted during the first World War. 

Allure. “100 Years of Plastic Surgery | Allure.” YouTube, YouTube, 1 Nov. 2018, www.youtube.com/watch?v=O2S7ZhR3DYw.

Beverly Hills Bridge Club, Los Angeles, USA, www.bridgewebs.com/beverlyhills/.

“Botched: Season Five Renewal & Premiere Date Set by E!” Canceled TV Shows - TV Series Finale, 6 Mar. 2018, tvseriesfinale.com/tv-show/botched-season-five-renewal-premiere-date-set-e/.

Downey, Andrea. “Incredible Photographs Show the Origin of Plastic Surgery on Injured Soldiers in World War One.” The Sun, The Sun, 26 Sept. 2017, www.thesun.co.uk/fabulous/4548992/incredible-photographs-show-the-origin-of-plastic-surgery-on-injured-soldiers-in-world-war-one/.

Online, UC. “Medicine pt3.” YouTube, YouTube, 22 Apr. 2012, www.youtube.com/watch?v=FIX-9mXd3Y4.