This article raises philosophical issues concerning the relationship between the body and technology in contemporary telesurgery research. The article focuses on two technical concepts—simulation and telepresence—and describes how both inform research into the application of computer and network technologies in medical research. The article makes an argument for a simultaneous acknowledgement of the enabling capacities of such technologies while also emphasizing issues pertaining to the physician-patient relationship, accountability, and changes to the biomedical definition of the body.
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