Inside the factory which makes models of vaginas and penises

“I’ve got that box of vaginas for you,” is something you seldom hear on a day-to-day basis.

This was one of the many out of the ordinary things heard and seen on a recent tour of a factory which makes realistic body parts for healthcare practitioners to train on.

Models of babies, limbless torsos and the male reproductive system fill the shelves of the Limbs & Things factory on Sussex Street in St Philip’s.

Models of babies, limbless torsos and the male anatomy fill the shelves of the Limbs & Things factory on Sussex Street – photo: Rachel Sutherland

Inside the factory you can find machines full of liquids to mimic different shades of skin colours and workers who then trim the left over ‘skin’ off models.

The healthcare simulation manufacturer has developed products to train people to detect cancer in patients, to detect developmental dysplasia of the hip in babies and to practice with injection trainers, to name a few.

Its skin pads, which can be used to practice incisions, are a popular product and sell for £42 for two.

At the other end of the spectrum its most expensive product sells is priced at around £5,000.

Limbs & Things was founded 1990 by medical illustrator Margot Cooper, and its medical task trainers and simulators are now sold in over 50 countries around the world.

It combines health care with engineering and design to create its tactile, yet long-lasting models.

Its goals are to improve patient outcomes in the real world while helping healthcare professionals grow in confidence.

Limbs & Things combines health care with engineering and design

Limbs & Things creates products which are designed to enhance specific skills in the medical world, including its flex birthing simulator (£4,120). The design of the manikin means that different labour scenarios can be created to put trainee obstetricians in realistic situations to prepare them for the real world.

Most birth nurses in the UK will have trained with their product, staff say.

The manufacturer, which had a turnover of around £30m in 2022, uses technology within some of its products. Its PROMPT birthing simulator records the force that could be exerted on the baby’s neck if not delivered carefully in a situation where the baby’s head is stuck.

The design of its flex birthing simulator means that different labour scenarios can be created

The replica cysts, carcinomas and fibroids it makes can be put behind a model of a breast, inside of a vagina or inside a scrotum, so trainee medical professionals can gain a good understanding about how to detect cancer or something which should not be there.

Practicing on a model allows people to get familiar with specific areas of the body, without any potential embarrassment.

All of its products are made to order and are designed and manufactured in Bristol and take around two to three years to develop from the concept to practice stage – with help from medical experts.

Its main customers are universities and hospitals.

Limbs & Things Factory Limbs & Things factory is on Sussex Street in St Philips

Limbs & Things, of which 90 per cent of its 200 Bristol staff members have a BS postcode, has around 230 people employees worldwide, with sales teams in the US and Australia.

Staff say its workforce in Bristol has doubled in the past five years.

You can find out more about Limbs & Things here.

All photos: Rachel Sutherland

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