Where it all started… The East-Radcliffe Ventilator from the 1960’s that we were allowed to borrow in march 2020 from the collection of museum Boerhaave. Now, one year later, our updated version of the ventilator holds a spot in the collection of the museum next to its older brother.
(picture by Rijksmuseum Boerhaave)
The Exhibition “Besmet!” in Museum Boerhaave shows us the parallels between disease in the past and disease in the present. The ways of dealing with it, curing it, and in general living with it. But it also emphasizes how we can learn from the past. What were the thing we have learned decades or even ages ago that we can still use.
Project Inspiration is a great example of learning from the past. We broke down he problem of having too little ventilators to one question; how did they deal with this in the past?
And thus we arrived at the East-Radcliffe ventilator, built and designed over five decades ago, but still a great source of inspiration for new medical equipment. We have added sensors, more intuitive electronics, modern alarm systems and loads more, whilst at the same time keeping it a simple design that can be manufactured anywhere in the world with simple equipment.
Teams all across the world are still making an effort to establish their own manufacturing line, as the Covid-crisis continues as heavily as ever.
In Delft we will keep on going with the effort to provide anyone in need with the medical equipment they need. In Leiden, Boerhaave will keep on documenting information about the present and the past to keep inspiring many others.
Visit https://rijksmuseumboerhaave.nl/te-zien-te-doen/besmet/ for more information about the exhibition!