Model of a female white baby at 22-23 weeks' development, England, 1998
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Made for a Science Museum exhibition on baby care units, this 300 mm high model represents the appearance and size of premature babies that can now be kept alive in specialised hospital units – the medical profession state that the minimum number of weeks in the womb before a baby can be expected to survive is 23. Research published in 2006 suggested controversially that babies born at or before 22 weeks should not be resuscitated and those born at 23 weeks should be revived. The model was made by Freeborns, a British model maker and sculptor. It is shown here with two other examples (1999-770 and 1999-771).
Object number:
1999-769
Related Themes and Topics
Glossary:
Glossary: model - representation
Use for a scaled representation of an object or structure, usually three-dimensional. The item is often idealised or modified to make it conceptually easier to understand.
Glossary: premature birth
The birth of a baby before 37 weeks (259 days) of pregnancy.
Glossary: premature baby
No description.