How did Medical animation or illustration industries evolve
3D medical animation is gaining popularity worldwide. The advancements with new innovative technology such as virtual reality augmented reality will blow our minds as wow factors. Moreover, with rapid development in the IT sector, 3D medical animation is more cost-effective. It is evident from the Grand view Research forecast for its global market to expand 514 million dollars by 2024. Have you ever wondered about the transformation and evolution of 3D medical animation? Let’s travel through the evolution of 3D medical animation from pictograms in the 3rd century to the latest modern visual communication in 2020 and how does makes a huge impact on various zones in the medical industry.
Alexandria King Ptolemy (3rd century to 14 century)
Alexandria, the city in Egypt is imperative in the history of medicine. King Ptolemy who ruled Egypt from 323 B.C to 282 B.C, laid the foundation for the Alexandrian Museum and Great Library of Alexandria fabled in antiquity. The library developed an opportunity for poets, mathematicians, historians, astronomers, and scientists to explore and evoke their creativity. As a consequence, there were two outstanding medical investigators, Herophilus (330 to 260 B.C) and Erasistrauts (304 to 250 B.C). Herophilus was a Greek physician and the first to lay his writings on authorized, legitimate dissection of the human body. Through his anatomical research on the nervous system, manifested that the brain is the seat of intelligence, a revolutionary breakthrough since there was a contradicted concept which stated that the heart is the seat of intelligence, rational thoughts, emotions, and desires. Unfortunately, neither Herophilus nor Erasistrauts illustrated anatomical observations from their dissections.
Leonardo da Vinci and Andreas Vesalius (14 century to 17 century)
Leonardo Da Vinci, the celebrated master artist, great inventor, as well as scientist, made numerous research observations and illustrated with sketches in his notes. Da Vinci dissected over 30 corpses and drew detailed illustrations of bones, muscles, and organ systems. One of his masterpieces was the Vitruvian man, which illustrates proportions in a male body. Leonardo Da Vinci was one of the most original anatomists during the renaissance. Da Vinci is truly a possible father of anatomy.
Andreas Vesalius, a Belgian anatomist, and physician published a book in the 16th century–Humani Corporis Fabrica, that explains the complete and systematic description of the human body. The book contains 670 pages and 186 anatomical plates of the human body. He worked with other artists to create the illustrations in his book. Also, he helped them by providing his dissection sketches and guided in their drawings so that the illustrations would be accurate as well as appealing. During his time, Surgery and anatomy were not considered as imperative branches of the medical field. He manifested that surgery had to be grounded in anatomy.
When the physician and scientists saw the artistic, realistic illustrations of the human body, they realized how visual illustration easily clarified functions of the body in a short span. As a result, many scientists were able to flood new inventions and advance medical knowledge during the renaissance.
Frank H . Netter and Max Brodel (18 century to 19 century)
Frank H.Netter was a surgeon as well as an artist. Early in his career as a medical Illustrator, he made illustrations of major organs and their pathology and published by CIBA Pharmaceutical company as Netter Collection of Medical Illustrations. His book was used as medical education materials, wherein 200 monographs under the title Clinical Symposia were illustrated. Later, also published Atlas of Human Anatomy, a group of volumes specifically for each organ system, which unfolds human anatomy, embryology, physiology, pathology, and pertinent clinical features of the ailments in each system. He was also called “ The Medical Michelangelo” by the New York Times in 1986. His books and atlases are boon to millions of healthcare professionals worldwide.
Max Brodel, the father of modern medical illustration was a german artist and enrolled in john Hopkins school of medicine, Baltimore. He illustrated the works of Harvey Cushing, William Halsted, Howard Kelly, and other clinicians. His magnificent works are celebrated and are a well-known figure in neurosurgical illustrator. Brodel's excellent illustrations were characterized by an aerial perspective that conveyed the surgeon’s viewpoint and precise surgical anatomy. He masterfully detailed the illustration of tissue with cross-sectional anatomy while maintaining topographical accuracy. Moreover, he also invented new techniques like ‘carbon dust’ for creating beautiful illustrations.
Although medical animation evolved from the field of realistic medical illustrations, animations are indebted to motion picture technology and computer-generated imagery.
- The term medical animation appears in scholarly contexts in the journal of Biological Photography in 1932.
- William flatter created a computer-generated, orthographic view of the human form and coined the term ‘Computer graphics’ in 1960.
- Ivan Sutherland described the concept of graphical computing in 1960.
- The first computer animation was produced at Bell Telephone Labs in 1963.The two dimensional illustrated motion pictures produced for inclusion in films screened for medical students.
- The first 3D computer graphics for medical purposes can be found in the journal Science, issued by the team of researchers from departments of Chemistry, Biochemistry and Biophysics at Texas A&M University, explained about the potential uses of medical animation for visualizing complex macromolecules.
- From 1980 onwards, there is a great demand for medical animation. It is proven that an animation is a powerful tool for previewing or reviewing the hydrogen bonding patterns. There is a scientific study to back up this claim. Using 3D medical animation they have examined hydrogen bonding patterns, conformational changes in positions and rotations of amino acids, electric field interatomic space, and electric forces on chosen nuclei.
- Medical animations had become a distinct modality for various zones in the medical industry and researchers manifested that the 3D medical animation could illustrate physiological, molecular, or anatomical concepts that might otherwise be infeasible.
Modern Era (20th century)
3D medical animations are expected to gain popularity beyond 2020. By rapid growing technology continues to enable new techniques or applications in the medical industry. An even more immersive type of animation technology will see more of in the future are virtual reality and augmented reality.
3D medical animation is empowering the healthcare industry or professionals in numerous ways. If you’re a healthcare company or professional, get in touch with us to discuss your creative vision.
