Fantastic Life Saving Plastic!
It’s something we never think about, yet everyday plastic is used to save lives in hospitals throughout the world! From a simple tube or syringe to a life giving oxygen mask or pacemaker, plastic helps make our lives safer.
The new Fantastic Plastic exhibition at the Thackray Museum follows the history of plastic from the early “explosive” days of Parkesine, used for spectacles and false teeth, a forerunner of the much more stable celluloid which didn’t explode, through to modern day surgery. Exhibits also include Adolf Hitler’s own emergency blood transfusion kit which was taken from his private yacht.
Hands on inter-actives challenge children to test the properties of plastic, become a designer and plan new medical equipment. Polly-Esther asks you to help find the plastic implants in her body. Test your historical knowledge and try the Operation Materials Challenge. Can you build a modern day operating theatre? Feel and touch plastic used in surgery today.
The Fantastic Plastic Gallery is phase one of a wider project looking at the importance of plastic in surgery today. Phase two will be completed by the end of the year and will include web inter-actives and material science loan boxes for schools aimed at older children. The project has involved working in close liaison with the medical PVC industry.
“The project has been tremendously important to the museum”, said Alison Bodley, Senior Curator, who has led the project. “Behind the scenes there have been many months of research and we have been able to greatly expand our collections.
The support of the PVC industry has been vital to the success of the project and we are delighted that we are able to open this new permanent gallery and increase our provision to schools.” Alison added “Our special thanks go to INEOS ChlorVinyls, Films and Compounds, British Plastics Federation, The Polymer Society, IOM3, DePuy and Synthomer Limited who have all been ‘fantastic’ to work with”.
The new Fantastic Plastic gallery is open now at the Thackray Museum, Beckett Street, Leeds LS9 7LN. Visit www.thackraymuseum.org
