Michelangelo’s Images of the Human Brain in Sistine Chapel

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[Reprinted from “The Chart”, Dr. Sanjay Gupta’s CNN blog.]

 

Michelangelo hid brain image in chapel, scientists say

Some of Michelangelo's best known works may bear hidden messages suggesting that the human brain is among God's greatest creations,    scientists say.

The great Italian Renaissance artist dissected cadavers to familiarize himself with the human body, so he could better paint it. And, according to a new analysis, he included a representation of the brainstem in his representation of God on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel, which he painted from 1508 to 1512.

Neurosurgeons Dr. Rafael Tamargo and Ian Suk of Johns Hopkins University looked closely at Michelangelo's painting "Separation of Light From Darkness," which depicts the beginning of the universe. They found that the neck of God in this painting appears to contain the human brainstem.

"He recognized that the brain was an important structure, and I think he included it in the creation of the universe because he recognized that this is one of the most magnificent things that God had created," Tamargo said.

The brainstem is the most primitive part of the brain, through which all signals traveling to and from the brain must pass, Tamargo said.

In the image above, on the left, you can see a comparison between the neck of God in the painting and a real brain stem. On the right, notice the different angles of light on the figure, which was uncommon for Michelangelo.

It was not uncommon in the Renaissance for artists to do dissections for the purpose of creating more accurate works, he said. Leonardo da Vinci, 23 years older than Michelangelo, documented his brain dissections and did experiments on the brainstem.

The neck of the figure of God in Michelangelo's painting, zoomed in above in image G, is abnormal anatomically. This is curious because the artist's other works show a fine understanding of what the neck looks like, as shown in images A-D above (E is by Leonardo,  F is by Raphael). This suggests that Michelangelo wasn't "just having a bad day," Tamargo said.

Tamargo and colleagues are not the first to propose that Michelangelo hid brain anatomy in his paintings. An article in the Journal of the American Medical Association in 1990 by Dr. Frank Lynn Meshberger suggested that the Renaissance master's "Creation of Adam," another fresco from the Sistine Chapel, depicts the human brain.

Michelangelo probably didn't know the functions of the various components of the brain, but he understood it was an important structure, Tamargo said.

"Separation of Light From Darkness," located above the altar of the Sistine Chapel, is too high for people of Michelangelo's time to have been able to see details such as the brainstem, and telescopes did not yet exist. But the artist probably knew that someday, someone would notice, Tamargo said.

"I think he put a message there for the future, to let people know that he knew anatomy, and probably to enhance the meaning of that fresco," Tamargo said.

Check out the full study online here.

http://pagingdrgupta.blogs.cnn.com/2010/06/28/michelangelo-hid-brainstem-in-sistine-chapel-study-says/

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The Age of the Instant: The Rise of Social Media

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[Reprinted from Perotsystems/Washington Report]

The Age of the Instant: The Rise of Social Media

It’s no longer just a fad. Social media continues to revolutionize our society.

I’m probably beginning to sound like an old-timer, but “when I was growing up” it was much different than today – for The Times They Are A-Changin’. A Yammer was something used for hitting nails. Four Square was a game you played during recess. A Facebook was a big glossy souvenir yearbook with pictures of your classmates that you received after high school. Wiki was a Hawaiian word that meant “fast.”  And who the heck had ever heard of a Tweet?  With the rise of the Internet, a whole new world of networking and social interaction which was previously unimaginable has taken a hold. No longer just a fad, social media is revolutionizing society, and it’s fascinating to watch!

As I reported last week, Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez recently hired 200 people to manage his newly created Twitter account, @chavezcandanga. While Hugo Chavez has attracted hundreds of thousands of more followers than my site – @MDKev (J) – the news that Chavez created his own Twitter page, let alone hired an entire team to operate his account, fascinates me.  When one of the world’s most notoriously anti-technology leaders turns to social networking to broadcast his message across his country, and more importantly, the world – something is beginning to happen.  As a result, I decided to do some research on how this new medium continues to impact everyone – especially you and me:

·        1 out of 8 couples married in the U.S. in 2008 met via social media – I met Sandi walking out of geometry class in 1967 at Bismarck High School.

·        If Facebook were a country, it would be the 4^th largest in the world – What does this mean for national geographic borders that appear to no longer be borders?

·        Facebook took less than 9 months to reach 100 million users. Compare this to television, which took 13 years to reach only 50 million users – The acceleration of technology adoption is outpacing our ability to pace ourselves.

·        80 percent of companies are using LinkedIn as their primary tool to find employees – You are no longer what you purport to be but you are what the web defines you as…

·        There are over 200 million blogs with 54 percent of bloggers posting content daily – Everyone and anyone is an expert on anything.

·        During one week in March this year, Facebook topped Google as the most visited website in the U.S. – We are now more about connection than content.

If you have a moment, please watch the video “Social Media Revolution” on YouTube. The video, like so many others, has become viral with over two million viewers at this point. It is fascinating that so many of us are posting news, a funny anecdote, pictures, videos, and of course, the arcane, like at which Starbucks we are drinking coffee.  As an example, my team has been encouraging me to “post” my thoughts outside of healthcare on Twitter.  Finally, about three weeks ago, I was at a Greek restaurant in Atlanta where I had the “best” grilled octopus ever in my travels throughout the world.  In a moment of weakness, I sent a “tweet” sharing the information.  I was absolutely amazed that the tweets back asked me for “more of the same.”  Hmm ... perhaps I should explore a new career as a food critic?

No longer just a tool for younger generations, most new subscribers to social media are coming from those aged 35-54, and 55 and above. In fact, last year the 35-54 age group registered for Facebook 328 percent more than they did in 2008, while those 55 and above enrolled 927 percent more (we boomers are getting with it!).  Those are staggering statistics, and illustrate just how widespread social media is becoming.  It is no longer a fad; it is now part of the fabric of America.

Even in healthcare, the social media wave is shifting our thinking. Hospitals are using Twitter and other networking sites to let users know how long the wait time is in the emergency room.  Public health departments are using such websites to alert citizens on how and where to access the swine flu vaccine.  Every month shows more and more hospitals, physicians and other healthcare organizations registering their social media accounts to keep the public informed of different programs and ways to manage their own health.  Examples include @MayoClinic, @AlegentHealth, and @HenryFordNews.  All three systems are using Twitter to update individuals on new programs and ways to keep healthy.

Even last week as I gave a webinar on the impact of the healthcare reform bill on payers and providers, a Twitter follower of mine streamed my presentation live to his own followers.  We are in the age of the instant.  The use of these tools will no doubt dramatically alter how we think about how healthcare is delivered into the future.  Pushing a button to broadcast our thoughts and information has no bounds.  It can go from one to everyone.  It seems to me that Hugo Chavez is on the cutting edge.  While I disagree with his politics, I agree with his assessment.  We should all take note of the changing tides of technology.

http://www.perotsystems.com/MediaRoom/WashingtonUpdate/052410_7

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For BP it’s the Money, Stupid

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There’s been way too much hand-wringing, breast-beating, meeting and talking (especially talking) about why BP has not moved quicker in fixing, cleaning up and compensating victims for the Gulf oil flood. Unless a gushing oil well is considered a leak in the earth, this is no leak.

Well, everyone can stop doing all that. None of that will happen any quicker unless and until BP is given a serious financial incentive to do so. Depending on the source, BP is anywhere from the 3rd to the 5th largest company in the world. Currently its stock has lost nearly 40% of its value since the April 20 explosion of the Deep Water Horizon rig began releasing at least 40,000 barrels of oil per day into the Gulf of Mexico.

BP did act quickly on a few matters to assure the least costly way of fixing this monumental disaster for BP. First thing it did was to usurp the control of the disaster from the US government where it rightly belonged. That was President Obama’s failing.

BP sent Tony Hayward out to be folksy with the media and American public, selling the charm and sincerity traditionally conveyed by the British accent so inexplicably alluring to Americans. When Tony asked for his life back he got it and BP sent a guy named Suttles to be their mouthpiece. Yes, as suggested by his name, Suttles is certainly more subtle than Tony H. Oh, and he doesn’t have a British accent.

Do you miss Tony? Not to worry. BP took $50 million from their 1st Quarter earnings of $6 billion attempting to mitigate its public relations nightmare. Just tune in the TV or go to youtube to watch Tony Hayward promise that BP will do right by the world in fixing the flood and its environmental & economic fallout.

BP tried to get out in front of the damage claims by making several conspicuous restitutions to Gulf businessmen. CNN somehow found a guy totally satisfied with how BP handled his claim for loss of his business. Despite their best efforts, BP’s actual handling of most claims caught up with them. When saying it would be all legitimate claims, obviously up for grabs is “legitimate”. That term can and will be litigated to death as BP fights tooth and nail to cut its losses.

The Obama administration was caught off guard by this disaster and chose to cede control to BP which had unique resources to address stemming the flood. BP took full advantage by not releasing the live feed of the flood until asked to do so by Congress. BP has uncontrovertibly lied about the scope of this disaster since day 1. As their deception became apparent, the Obama administration fought and regained control over BP’s work to cap the flood, clean up the mess and compensate Americans. Once again, President Obama was naïve, yet is coming back with a vengeance.

BP’s stock value varies by the day. June 2 its stock was down 50% suffering a $70 billion loss. June 9 it had recovered to around 40% where it has hovered as of this date. BP faces civil fines in the United States which, under a finding of gross negligence or willful misconduct, could be $4,300 per barrel. As of 6/11  this would be $11.1 billion for 2.58 million barrels flooding the Gulf. My, my – that’s nearly twice their 1st Quarter earnings.

Will BP somehow slither out of this intact and unmarred? Is this international monster of greed bigger than the United States government? Stay tuned, mate, for a bloody nasty fight.

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Guillaume Nery Base-Jumps into Deepest Blue Hole in the World

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Hover your mouse over the “360p” and choose “1080p HD”. Then click on the 4 arrows to the right to view full screen.

For all videos on this blog, I recommend choosing the highest dpi (480, 720 HD, 1080 HD, etc.) where available, then trying full screen for HD dpi choices.

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