Spare Parts

When a part of the body breaks, it’s sometimes possible to replace the broken part by a spare. Is it possible to exchange everything? Would you still be the same person?

The model shows some examples of prosthetics that can be surgically implanted without other people being able to see the difference. The model has prosthetic eyes, teeth, and several joints: shoulder, elbow, knee, ankle and hip.

The Y-model in the centre of the stomach is an artificial blood vessel. The rod corresponding to the left upper arm is inserted into the bone marrow and can in this way hold a broken upper arm together. The same is true for the screw where the right thigh bone should be.

The pacemaker is a Swedish invention and acts through electrodes surgically inserted into the heart to control its rhythm. The first pacemaker was as large as an ice hockey puck, while a modern pacemaker is smaller than a matchbox.