04-12-2009 - Health

It is my opinion that the adage from Ecclesiastes, “there is nothing new under the sun” simply isn’t true anymore, at least not here on this earth at this point in time. One of the best things about being alive today is that with ever-increasing frequency one can stumble upon something that is brand new.

Last week while reading the New York Times I was thunderstruck by something truly ingenious in an article is entitled “The Inner Beauty of a McNugget: A Cultural Scan.” Perhaps it takes the mind of an artist to figure out something mind-blowingly innovative to do with medical technology that makes a splash in the visual world of art photography, which is exactly what Satre Stuelke, a former art professor at the School of Visual Arts in Manhattan turned medical student at Weill Cornell Medical College, has done.

In 2007 Mr. Stuelke began scanning pop objects, food and mechanical devices via Computed Tomography, commonly known as CT scan, and the results are fascinating. He examines an endless stream of subjects ranging from toasters and Barbie dolls to toy cars, rubber duckies, and cel phones. Did you ever wonder if there is inner beauty in a Swanson’s Hungry Man fried chicken TV dinner? Well, there is.

I’ve always been curious about how things are made, but I admit I’ve never once thought about what would happen if you could X-ray all sorts of weird stuff to see what’s inside. But, really, why not? Is it because CT scans are not generally accessible? I don’t know, but when I think about it, it’s sort of baffling that no one has done it before, at least not in such a dramatic, stunning, and artistic way.

Mr. Stuelke’s special contribution is revealing the beauty of the guts and bolts inside common and uncommon objects using an array of crisply saturated colors to enhance the images. He has produced results that are some of the most beautiful and interesting imagery I believe I’ve ever seen. I’m not exactly sure why I find these so far out, but, well, I do. There’s something extraordinary about the sheer simplicity of the idea, and yet, the whole thing just completely surprises and fascinates me, and I could stare at the images for hours. And really, who knew that Barbie actually has a skull inside her head and bones in her limbs? No rib cage, but no matter — that she has even a partial skeleton is amazing. That revelation alone is worth a considerable amount of mental digestion time and it yields such a sweet aftertaste. Bravo Mattel, and thank you Mr. Stuelke!

The NYT article has an accompanying gallery of images, and you can find many more plus little rotating movies and technical information on Mr. Stuelke’s site, radiologyart. I also enjoyed another blog item about this artistic and analytical breakthrough on The Escape Complex.

Written by Beverly Spicer

5 Responses to “CT scans reveal beauty that is more than skin deep”

1. deborahbyrd says:

   April 13, 2009 at 9:36 am

   Yes, this is a very interesting gallery.

   As a nature lover, it has always fascinated me how wondrous and surprising the artifacts of humankind can be. Human-made things often show something that looks so deeply akin to nature’s symmetry and beauty. Maybe because we humans are part of nature?

   Now someone just needs to reveal the inner beauty of suburban box stores!
2. Hank says:

   April 18, 2009 at 1:11 pm

   My father would have wished that every toy, clock, and electronic gadget came with a CT scan showing what was inside. As a young boy I was always disassembling things to see what made them function, including a few prized items belongin to my father (which he still recounts today with more humor as compared to the frustration he experienced back then). Had there been a CT scan or X-ray for me to look at on the package, perhaps I would have resisted the temptation to look inside and spare a few precious items an untimely demise.

   My father would sing an amusing variation of a country song; “Fathers, don’t let your children grow up to be scientists. Let them be cowboys and coal miners and such…” He was kidding, of course. He was a scientist and suffered his father in the same ways.

   Very cool gallery by the way!
3. Beverly Spicer says:

   April 18, 2009 at 5:25 pm

   Thanks, Hank, and others. My brother was always taking stuff apart when he was a kid too. He had an insatiable curiosity, and we were always wading through mass quantities of loose wires, cords, guts of radios, telephones, televisions and oscilloscopes strewn about his room. He loved taking stuff apart but didn’t much like putting it back together again, so this debris grew sizable over time. I was into biology, and I thought “The Invisible Man,” a clear plastic model of a human being showing all the organs and veins, muscles, tendons, etc, was the most wonderful thing I’d ever seen. Right up there with Saturn’s rings that we could see through the telescope we set up out on the patio.
4. Radiology Art Project says:

   May 15, 2009 at 11:31 am

   Dear Sirs,
   we are a group of radiologists, technologists and artists, who started a new project “Radiology museum”, which is dedicated to Radiology art and covers Radiology curiosities, interesting images, equipment, accessories, historical images and historical figures. Anybody who is interested and would like to contribute to this group is welcome to join.
   We just created a dedicated group for Radiology art on the Radiology community “Radiolopolis” (www.radiolopolis.com) and would like to invite everybody who is interested to join this endeavour.

   We will soon launch a “Radiology museum” website and we would like to combine the ideas and contributions of our group members and maybe you, too. Furthermore, the artwork/contributions will be also displayed and promoted in the Radiology community “Radiolopolis”. Not only images but also interesting articles about Radiology art will be offered, why a dedicated Radiology art blog for this project is also envisioned. We are now – in the start phase – searching for potential team members to discuss relevant issues and collect ideas for a great success. The Radiology museum will be launched in June/July this year.
   By the way: We came to an agreement with the Journal of Radiology Case Reports (www.JRCR.org) to publish “interesting images”, such as radiological artwork on a regular basis with material from our project.
   I hope, you are interested in this exciting new endeavour and we would be pleased to welcome you in our team.
   The “Radiology art” group can be found at http://www.radiolopolis.com/index.php/get-connected/groups/all-groups/viewgroup/72-Radiology Art.html

   You may also contact me directly at roland@talanow.info.
   Thank you,
   Roland Talanow, MD. PhD.
   EduRad & Cleveland Clinic
5. Beverly Spicer says:

   May 15, 2009 at 10:06 pm

   Very interesting site. I will tell Mr. Steulke right away. I urge all readers to check out the link in the previous comment at http://www.Radiolopolis.com