Meet "Yorick", the Bionic Skeleton
Yorick is a "bionic" skeleton.
Bionic means electronic devices and mechanical parts (called
medical devices or implants) are used in place of real body
parts that are damaged or that no longer work. These devices
can actually help people perform normal, everyday tasks.
Where is Yorick?
Yorick
was created as a teaching aid
to demonstrate how these medical
devices work. He used to travel
frequently and appear at schools,
professional meetings, university
lectures, training courses and health
fairs to educate kids and adults.
In November 2003, Yorick 'retired' from FDA. He became part of a museum display called 'Inventing Ourselves.' The display is in the National Museum of American History in Washington, D.C.
What are medical devices?
People use
medical devices when they have
lost the use of a real body part,
because of injury in an accident
or damage from a disease.
For example, a person who loses
an arm in an accident might get
a replacement arm that will still
allow him to eat, lift things,
throw a ball, or tie his shoes.
And there are even people who
need a whole new replacement body
part, such as an artificial heart,
in order to live.
Definitions of some of the medical and scientific words related to Yorick
See Yorick
and
all of his medical devices. If
you don't know the meaning of any
of the highlighted words in the
captions, click on those words
and you'll return to the definitions
below.
silicone - rubbery material used to form artificial body parts, such as an ear or chin.
implant - to put into the body through surgery; or an object that is put into the body.
mandible - the lower jaw bone.
artificial - not real; not natural; made by humans rather than by nature;
imitation or substitute for real thing.
ligament - a band of tough tissue that joins two or more bones together and helps to strengthen and support the joints.
joint - the place between two bones of the skeleton.
arthritis - an aching or burning of the joints.
bionic - using electronic or mechanical parts in place of real body parts. replacement - to take the place of; substitute.
medical device - a part or machine made to help the human body do things; also products used for surgery (for example, scalpels), and to help with healing (for example, stitches, bandages).
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