Aortic Valve Molds
date: label: date made
content: ca 1977
notes: label: Description (Brief)
content: These two molds of a dog's aortic valves were made by Dr. Victor Parsonnet and Dr. Gideon Gestring about 1977. Accompanying the molds is a letter written by Dr. Parsonnet to Mr. Villafana, dated April 22, 2002. Therein he discusses the molds he made "perhaps 25 years ago" when his primary research interest was to develop collagen vessels. He impregnated Dacron mesh with collagen and implanted it into the subcutaneous tissues of dogs. It was successful, which led Parsonnet to attempt to make a leaflet valve of this kind. Their attempts at designing this type of valve failed. "In hindsight it was an interesting adventure, but one that failed." In marker on both valves it reads "DR. GESTRING".
label: Location
content: Currently not on view
place: label: place made
content: United States: Minnesota, Minneapolis
topic: label: Subject
content: Cardiology
label: Subject
content: Prosthesis
label: Subject
content: Artificial Organs
setName: label: See more items in
content: Medicine and Science: Medicine
label: See more items in
content: Health & Medicine
label: See more items in
content: Artificial Heart Valves
creditLine: label: Credit Line
content: Gift of Manuel Villafaña
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: National Museum of American History
identifier: label: ID Number
content: 2015.0031.59
label: catalog number
content: 2015.0031.59
label: accession number
content: 2015.0031
objectType: label: Object Name
content: cardiology
label: Object Name
content: artificial heart valve, molds, set
physicalDescription: label: Physical Description
content: metal (mold material)
label: Measurements
content: mold 1: 3.6 cm x 2.4 cm; 1 13/32 in x 15/16 in
label: Measurements
content: mold 2: 3.5 cm x 2.6 cm; 1 3/8 in x 1 1/32 in