0:00:23 > 0:00:24He's Dr Chris.
0:00:25 > 0:00:28And he's Dr Xand.
0:00:28 > 0:00:29And yes, we're twins.
0:00:31 > 0:00:33Do you know how brilliant your body really is?
0:00:33 > 0:00:36My finger's got yellow puss in it.
0:00:36 > 0:00:38Well, we're going to show you.
0:00:38 > 0:00:39Yeah.
0:00:39 > 0:00:42'In this series, we're pushing our bodies to their limits...'
0:00:42 > 0:00:43I like the sound of this.
0:00:43 > 0:00:46'..by doing extraordinary experiments on each other.'
0:00:46 > 0:00:48This is my sick.
0:00:48 > 0:00:50'To uncover what goes on inside.'
0:00:50 > 0:00:53Ooh, that just came out of my ear.
0:00:53 > 0:00:54'And out.'
0:00:54 > 0:00:55Wow, that's amazing.
0:00:55 > 0:00:57From the bizarre.
0:00:58 > 0:00:59To the incredible.
0:00:59 > 0:01:01So now I'm seeing things.
0:01:01 > 0:01:03'It's time to find out what you're made of.'
0:01:03 > 0:01:04Chris?
0:01:04 > 0:01:06Chris?
0:01:06 > 0:01:07Chris?
0:01:09 > 0:01:10Coming up today...
0:01:10 > 0:01:11On Operation Ouch!
0:01:14 > 0:01:16Things get gooey as we explore earwax.
0:01:18 > 0:01:20Oh that's amazing, that's great.
0:01:20 > 0:01:22Ooh, I've been stung.
0:01:22 > 0:01:25Find out what to do if this happens to you.
0:01:26 > 0:01:30And Xand is wowed by artificial organs.
0:01:30 > 0:01:33I wonder who's going to end up with this?
0:01:33 > 0:01:34But first...
0:01:35 > 0:01:38Medical teams always expect the unexpected...
0:01:38 > 0:01:40But no-one was expecting this.
0:01:45 > 0:01:49In the waiting room is nine-year-old Lauren with her family and
0:01:49 > 0:01:51she's bitten off more than she can chew.
0:01:51 > 0:01:53I swallowed a clip.
0:01:53 > 0:01:55A what?
0:01:55 > 0:01:56It was a hair clip.
0:01:56 > 0:01:57Mm-hmm.
0:01:57 > 0:01:59And I took it out my hair...
0:01:59 > 0:02:00Mm-hmm.
0:02:00 > 0:02:02..to get my hair to get my hair flat and then I swallowed it and I...
0:02:02 > 0:02:04Hmm, hang on.
0:02:04 > 0:02:05Let's get this story straight.
0:02:08 > 0:02:12Lauren was at home sitting on the sofa, watching TV with her granddad.
0:02:12 > 0:02:14I don't think he's watching the programme,
0:02:14 > 0:02:18someone else isn't watching the show either.
0:02:18 > 0:02:21Hmm. Anyway, whilst Lauren was watching the telly,
0:02:21 > 0:02:24she took her hair clip out of her hair as you do.
0:02:25 > 0:02:29Yep, but what she's about to do isn't the best of ideas.
0:02:29 > 0:02:32I know. She likes chewing clips and she was busy playing with this one
0:02:32 > 0:02:36in her mouth when all of a sudden she accidentally swallowed it
0:02:36 > 0:02:38and it's never been seen since.
0:02:38 > 0:02:40Oh, dear, ouch.
0:02:41 > 0:02:44What does Granddad have to say about all this?
0:02:44 > 0:02:48She suddenly jumped up and ran out cos her gran was in the kitchen.
0:02:48 > 0:02:52I was still reading the paper, so I didn't even know what had happened.
0:02:52 > 0:02:54A lot of help you were, Granddad.
0:02:54 > 0:02:57But at least someone's taking it seriously.
0:02:57 > 0:03:02She put clips in her mouth, what's very naughty and bad.
0:03:02 > 0:03:03You got it.
0:03:03 > 0:03:06Anyway, with this clip lurking somewhere inside you, Lauren,
0:03:06 > 0:03:08we need to get you checked out pronto.
0:03:11 > 0:03:13And here's the man for the job.
0:03:13 > 0:03:15Over to Dr Tom Cibulskas.
0:03:15 > 0:03:17And how big was it, can you show me?
0:03:17 > 0:03:20- Well, I think it was that big, like that.- OK.
0:03:20 > 0:03:23- Well, the hair clips are about that big, aren't they?- Oh, OK.
0:03:23 > 0:03:26Probably a couple of inches you think? So quite big actually.
0:03:26 > 0:03:27OK.
0:03:27 > 0:03:29I'm glad we sorted that out.
0:03:29 > 0:03:32And if you swallow, does it feel uncomfortable?
0:03:32 > 0:03:33- Yeah.- It does.
0:03:33 > 0:03:35And what we need to work out is
0:03:35 > 0:03:37whether or not the hair clip is stuck in her throat
0:03:37 > 0:03:41or whether it's actually gone down into her stomach.
0:03:41 > 0:03:44When you swallow something, it goes down your throat
0:03:44 > 0:03:46into your oesophagus, or food pipe,
0:03:46 > 0:03:49and then into your stomach.
0:03:49 > 0:03:52Lauren's hairclip might already have done this journey.
0:03:53 > 0:03:55But if it's still in her throat,
0:03:55 > 0:03:58it could go down her trachea, or windpipe,
0:03:58 > 0:04:00and end up in her lungs.
0:04:00 > 0:04:02Which would cause her to choke.
0:04:03 > 0:04:06Did it feel like it went all the way down when you swallowed it?
0:04:06 > 0:04:10- No, I didn't feel like it all went down.- Doesn't feel like that.
0:04:10 > 0:04:12OK, now I'm just going to pop this on your tongue.
0:04:12 > 0:04:13- Just say ah.- Ah.
0:04:13 > 0:04:16OK, I can't see anything there at all.
0:04:16 > 0:04:18Well, apart from her tongue and teeth obviously.
0:04:18 > 0:04:21But to try to find out where on earth that clip has got to,
0:04:21 > 0:04:25Dr Tom has what might seem like a harebrained idea.
0:04:25 > 0:04:28OK, Lauren, we've got this little gadget, it's a metal detector.
0:04:28 > 0:04:30It'll help us work out which part of you we need to X-ray
0:04:30 > 0:04:34to find where the hairclip's gone.
0:04:34 > 0:04:37- Listen out for the beeps everyone. - MACHINE BEEPS
0:04:37 > 0:04:40- Bingo.- Yep, we've got a belly beep.
0:04:42 > 0:04:45But at least we can give her throat the all clear which is good news.
0:04:47 > 0:04:49Sometimes when we swallow things that are a pointy or sharp,
0:04:49 > 0:04:51it can feel like they're stuck.
0:04:51 > 0:04:53But actually what that feeling is,
0:04:53 > 0:04:55is it's where it's scraped or scratched
0:04:55 > 0:04:56the lining of your food pipe
0:04:56 > 0:04:59and actually it may have gone down and it may be in the stomach.
0:04:59 > 0:05:03So her throat's clear, but this investigation isn't over yet.
0:05:03 > 0:05:07Dr Tom needs to find out exactly where the clip is in Lauren's belly,
0:05:07 > 0:05:09to make sure it won't cause a dangerous blockage
0:05:09 > 0:05:12in the narrowest part of her intestines.
0:05:12 > 0:05:13So it's off to X-ray.
0:05:16 > 0:05:19We'll be back later to see how she gets on.
0:05:27 > 0:05:29And now to our lab.
0:05:29 > 0:05:32Where we do incredible experiments.
0:05:32 > 0:05:33Oh, there you go.
0:05:33 > 0:05:35To show you how your body works.
0:05:36 > 0:05:39Just don't try anything you see here at home.
0:05:40 > 0:05:46This is a tiny camera and I'm going to look inside Chris's head with it.
0:05:46 > 0:05:48Now you must never put anything in your ears
0:05:48 > 0:05:50or you could cause permanent damage.
0:05:50 > 0:05:54We can only do this because we're doctors.
0:05:54 > 0:05:58Oh, that's great, that is Chris's eardrum. Lovely.
0:05:58 > 0:06:01OK, Chris, what I want you to do is close your mouth.
0:06:01 > 0:06:03Plug your nose.
0:06:03 > 0:06:05And now blow out gently.
0:06:06 > 0:06:08Oh that's really good, that's lovely.
0:06:08 > 0:06:11So what you can see there is Chris's eardrum bulging.
0:06:11 > 0:06:16Now the eardrum's a very thin membrane which acts like a drum.
0:06:16 > 0:06:17That's why it's called the eardrum.
0:06:17 > 0:06:21It vibrates when sound waves hit it, but it has another important job -
0:06:21 > 0:06:25it protects the very delicate middle and inner ears behind it.
0:06:25 > 0:06:28But there's something else lurking inside your ears
0:06:28 > 0:06:29that we want to show you.
0:06:29 > 0:06:31I tell you what, Xand, give me the camera
0:06:31 > 0:06:33and I'll have a look at your ears.
0:06:34 > 0:06:39Can you see that gooey, yellow, browny, crumbly stuff?
0:06:39 > 0:06:41That is Xand's earwax.
0:06:41 > 0:06:43How much do I have?
0:06:43 > 0:06:44A lot more than me.
0:06:44 > 0:06:48That's great, because earwax is in our ears for a good reason.
0:06:48 > 0:06:51But what is earwax and why do we have it?
0:06:51 > 0:06:52Well, we're going to show you.
0:06:55 > 0:06:58Yep, I can see right through to the other side.
0:06:58 > 0:07:02What, really? Well how many fingers am I holding up then?
0:07:03 > 0:07:05Three.
0:07:05 > 0:07:07Wow. Didn't think that was medically possible.
0:07:07 > 0:07:12Now look, that is a good sample of your earwax.
0:07:12 > 0:07:15It's not pretty to look at, but it is brilliant stuff.
0:07:15 > 0:07:17Earwax is actually a type of sweat.
0:07:17 > 0:07:19Some people get more than others,
0:07:19 > 0:07:21just like some people sweat more than others.
0:07:21 > 0:07:23But everyone has it.
0:07:23 > 0:07:26When the earwax is produced in your ear canal it's runny,
0:07:26 > 0:07:29but it dries out as it works its way out of your ear.
0:07:29 > 0:07:32This takes about a month and it's helped along by you yawning,
0:07:32 > 0:07:35chewing, chatting until it flakes out of your ear naturally.
0:07:35 > 0:07:38So next time you get told off for chatting in class,
0:07:38 > 0:07:42you could always say you're trying to work out your earwax.
0:07:42 > 0:07:44Xand, what are you doing?
0:07:44 > 0:07:45I was just tasting it.
0:07:45 > 0:07:47I can see that, but why?
0:07:47 > 0:07:49I guess I just wanted to know what it tasted like.
0:07:49 > 0:07:52Well, what does it taste like?
0:07:52 > 0:07:53Actually it's not very nice.
0:07:53 > 0:07:55It's very bitter and that's
0:07:55 > 0:07:58because earwax is made up of around 40 different substances.
0:07:58 > 0:08:00The main ones are fatty acids and cholesterol
0:08:00 > 0:08:03and none of them taste very nice.
0:08:03 > 0:08:06Plus the fact that it's been in your ear for about the last month.
0:08:06 > 0:08:10Anyway, now we know what's in earwax, what's it for?
0:08:10 > 0:08:13Well, to show you, I've got a model of Xand's ear.
0:08:19 > 0:08:20There we go, Xand.
0:08:20 > 0:08:21Whoa.
0:08:21 > 0:08:22It's amazing.
0:08:24 > 0:08:25Hello?
0:08:25 > 0:08:26ECHOES
0:08:26 > 0:08:28It even sounds like me.
0:08:28 > 0:08:31Anyway, in the air around us there are lots of particles of dust
0:08:31 > 0:08:33and bugs and other stuff.
0:08:33 > 0:08:34So for this experiment,
0:08:34 > 0:08:36I'm going to need some giant particles
0:08:36 > 0:08:38to go with Xand's giant ear.
0:08:38 > 0:08:42But as we don't have any giant bugs or dirt to go with the giant ear,
0:08:42 > 0:08:44these polystyrene balls will have to do.
0:08:44 > 0:08:46Now when air passes around us,
0:08:46 > 0:08:50some of these dirt or bug particles could get into our ears.
0:08:50 > 0:08:51Watch.
0:08:53 > 0:08:55With everything else supersized,
0:08:55 > 0:08:59we thought we'd go for a supersized gust of wind too.
0:08:59 > 0:09:00Ear goes.
0:09:06 > 0:09:09'See how many went through the hole?'
0:09:09 > 0:09:12If this was a real ear, all the dust and dirt particles that went through
0:09:12 > 0:09:17would have clogged up the eardrum and damaged the inner ear behind it.
0:09:17 > 0:09:21So here's the only problem with this otherwise amazing model,
0:09:21 > 0:09:23it doesn't have any earwax.
0:09:23 > 0:09:26So let's smear an earwax type gunk in there and see what happens.
0:09:29 > 0:09:32We're coating the big ear with a layer of sticky yellow stuff,
0:09:32 > 0:09:35a bit like the wax in your ear and you'll see how it protects
0:09:35 > 0:09:38your delicate eardrum and the inner ear behind it.
0:09:41 > 0:09:43Ready? Here we go again.
0:09:45 > 0:09:47Oh, that's amazing, that's great.
0:09:48 > 0:09:51Look loads of them have stuck in there.
0:09:54 > 0:09:57But that's what happens every day in your ears.
0:09:57 > 0:10:01Any unwanted specks of dirt or bugs that get blown near your ears,
0:10:01 > 0:10:05get stuck in your earwax and then moved out of your ear.
0:10:05 > 0:10:09Which means your eardrum and everything behind it stays safe.
0:10:09 > 0:10:11The other great thing about your earwax is that the acid in it
0:10:11 > 0:10:15deters bacteria too, so it keeps infection out.
0:10:15 > 0:10:18So although it might taste horrible to Xand,
0:10:18 > 0:10:20it also tastes horrible for bugs.
0:10:27 > 0:10:29The park, a place to have fun.
0:10:29 > 0:10:32Wee, wee, wee, wee!
0:10:33 > 0:10:36But it's also a place of danger.
0:10:38 > 0:10:41You could trip up on skipping ropes.
0:10:42 > 0:10:45You can get splatted on the forehead by a large ice cream.
0:10:45 > 0:10:48- Oh, what's the time, Xand? - I'll check.
0:10:50 > 0:10:52Or you could slip on a banana skin.
0:10:55 > 0:10:56Actually, Chris, I think you're the one
0:10:56 > 0:10:59that's more likely to have an accident because you're so clumsy.
0:10:59 > 0:11:01What? You're the clumsy one.
0:11:01 > 0:11:02BUZZING
0:11:02 > 0:11:04You're more likely to slip on something.
0:11:04 > 0:11:05BUZZING
0:11:05 > 0:11:08You could splat me in the face with your ice cream.
0:11:08 > 0:11:09Eugh.
0:11:11 > 0:11:13Eugh. I've been stung!
0:11:15 > 0:11:17Ooh. A minor injury.
0:11:23 > 0:11:24So...
0:11:28 > 0:11:30..screaming, "I want my teddy!"?
0:11:37 > 0:11:39..and put something cold on the area
0:11:39 > 0:11:40for no more than ten minutes?
0:11:45 > 0:11:46The answer is C.
0:11:49 > 0:11:51So to treat a sting...
0:11:51 > 0:11:53First of all scrape out the sting
0:11:53 > 0:11:55with something like a credit card or your nail.
0:11:56 > 0:11:59The sting sticks out and looks like a splinter.
0:12:03 > 0:12:06Then put something cold on the area like frozen peas.
0:12:08 > 0:12:10- How's that?- Much better.
0:12:10 > 0:12:12Good. Now hang on just a second.
0:12:14 > 0:12:17I want my teddy bear. I want my teddy bear.
0:12:17 > 0:12:19What are you doing?
0:12:19 > 0:12:20I'm just trying option A.
0:12:20 > 0:12:22But, Xand, you weren't even stung.
0:12:25 > 0:12:28So scrape out the sting and put something cold on it
0:12:28 > 0:12:29for no longer than ten minutes.
0:12:29 > 0:12:31If you're worried, tell an adult.
0:12:35 > 0:12:38We've got some incredible body tricks for you to show your friends.
0:12:39 > 0:12:43Everyone's going to want to try this one.
0:12:43 > 0:12:45We've got a really tasty trick for you
0:12:45 > 0:12:48and I'm going to use Xand as my first volunteer.
0:12:48 > 0:12:49So do you fancy a doughnut?
0:12:49 > 0:12:50Oh, lovely.
0:12:50 > 0:12:52No, no, no...
0:12:52 > 0:12:54It's not how the trick works, you've got to slow down.
0:12:54 > 0:12:57So what we're going to do is we're going to give Xand
0:12:57 > 0:12:58this doughnut which is covered in sugar
0:12:58 > 0:13:01and you've got to eat the whole thing without licking your lips.
0:13:01 > 0:13:03Do you think you can do this?
0:13:03 > 0:13:05Yeah, well, that's easy, I could do that all day.
0:13:05 > 0:13:08OK, ready? Here we go, this is the doughnut.
0:13:08 > 0:13:12'Now let's see if Xand can eat his doughnut without licking his lips.'
0:13:12 > 0:13:14- CHANTING:- Xand! Xand! Xand! - It's difficult.
0:13:14 > 0:13:16Xand! Xand! Xand!
0:13:16 > 0:13:19You're doing quite well so far, Xand, but can you keep it up?
0:13:19 > 0:13:20Xand! Xand! Xand!
0:13:20 > 0:13:22'Oh, you've licked.'
0:13:22 > 0:13:23Oh, look.
0:13:24 > 0:13:27Who thinks that they could do the trick well?
0:13:27 > 0:13:29- ALL:- Me!
0:13:29 > 0:13:30What you think you're better than me?
0:13:30 > 0:13:31- ALL:- Yeah.
0:13:33 > 0:13:35Well, let's see how this lot get on.
0:13:37 > 0:13:42- They're trying very hard. - And so far no-one's licked.
0:13:42 > 0:13:44You're going to lick soon, you're going to lick soon.
0:13:44 > 0:13:47Sooner or later, it becomes too much to resist.
0:13:47 > 0:13:48Ah.
0:13:50 > 0:13:51He's licking.
0:13:53 > 0:13:56She's definitely licking.
0:13:56 > 0:13:57And so is he.
0:13:58 > 0:14:03So why's it so hard to resist licking the sugar off your lips?
0:14:03 > 0:14:08When the jam and sugar was on your lips, it was sort of irritating.
0:14:08 > 0:14:10You wanted to get rid of the irritation
0:14:10 > 0:14:12and wanted the tastiness of it.
0:14:15 > 0:14:17Charly has almost got it.
0:14:17 > 0:14:19Your lips have more sensory receptors
0:14:19 > 0:14:21than pretty much anywhere else,
0:14:21 > 0:14:24making them super sensitive to even the smallest bit of sugar.
0:14:26 > 0:14:29So as soon as the receptors feel something touching them,
0:14:29 > 0:14:32they tell your brain to remove the irritation.
0:14:32 > 0:14:35That's why you lick your lips.
0:14:35 > 0:14:37It's not just that you get the tasty treat
0:14:37 > 0:14:40of having all the jam and sugar on your lips,
0:14:40 > 0:14:41but you also...
0:14:41 > 0:14:43- He's eating doughnuts.- Xand?
0:14:43 > 0:14:44KIDS SCREAM
0:14:44 > 0:14:46What you doing?
0:14:46 > 0:14:47I'm just practising.
0:14:52 > 0:14:55Earlier, Lauren turned up after swallowing a hairclip.
0:14:55 > 0:14:58Let's see how she's getting on in accident and emergency.
0:15:01 > 0:15:03Back at Royal Manchester Children's Hospital,
0:15:03 > 0:15:07Lauren is hoping her swallowed hairclip can be found.
0:15:07 > 0:15:10She'd been watching TV with her granddad,
0:15:10 > 0:15:12who wasn't really watching at all,
0:15:12 > 0:15:14when she decided to chew her hairclip
0:15:14 > 0:15:16and accidentally swallowed it.
0:15:16 > 0:15:19And I'm always telling her not to put clips in her mouth
0:15:19 > 0:15:20but as usual she doesn't listen.
0:15:20 > 0:15:25You must listen to your mum what she just said.
0:15:25 > 0:15:27Tell that to your big sis.
0:15:28 > 0:15:31Luckily the clip hadn't got stuck in Lauren's throat,
0:15:31 > 0:15:33but it could still cause a dangerous blockage
0:15:33 > 0:15:37in the narrowest part of her intestines.
0:15:37 > 0:15:39So now she's in X-ray to find out
0:15:39 > 0:15:42precisely what part of her belly it's hiding in.
0:15:42 > 0:15:44Nice and still for me.
0:15:45 > 0:15:46Anyone see it?
0:15:46 > 0:15:48- Yeah, there it is. - Oh, no.
0:15:48 > 0:15:51- Yeah. - I was looking up there, then.
0:15:51 > 0:15:53Oh, hello, hairclip.
0:15:53 > 0:15:55- So is that, that is her stomach, isn't it?- Yeah.
0:15:57 > 0:16:00And the good news is it's already passed the narrow part
0:16:00 > 0:16:05of her intestines where it could have caused a dangerous blockage.
0:16:05 > 0:16:07We can see it's working its way through your tummy now
0:16:07 > 0:16:09and I'm afraid there's nothing we can do
0:16:09 > 0:16:11apart from wait for it to come out the end.
0:16:11 > 0:16:12And you know what that means.
0:16:12 > 0:16:15You'll have to do-do, a number two-two.
0:16:15 > 0:16:17I think if you make sure when you go to the toilet
0:16:17 > 0:16:18over the next few days,
0:16:18 > 0:16:21if you keep an eye out I think you'll probably see it.
0:16:21 > 0:16:22Is that OK?
0:16:22 > 0:16:25So it's off home for Lauren who'll be on poo patrol
0:16:25 > 0:16:27for the next couple of days.
0:16:27 > 0:16:29Everybody wave.
0:16:29 > 0:16:30CHRIS AND XAND: Bye.
0:16:35 > 0:16:37Still to come in accident and emergency,
0:16:37 > 0:16:39Amy's toe needs attention.
0:16:41 > 0:16:43Find out how your amazing body heals itself.
0:16:45 > 0:16:48And prepare for a medical breakthrough.
0:16:48 > 0:16:49Feels very much like a real ear.
0:16:51 > 0:16:55Now, did you know your spinal cord is as flexible as a garden hose?
0:16:57 > 0:16:59That's amazing and so is this.
0:17:01 > 0:17:03In an ordinary town...
0:17:03 > 0:17:05An ordinary street.
0:17:05 > 0:17:07..people walking about.
0:17:07 > 0:17:10There's nothing amazing about walking, Xand.
0:17:10 > 0:17:11Look closer, Chris.
0:17:12 > 0:17:15Wow, that guy's walking on his hands, brilliant.
0:17:17 > 0:17:20Brilliant, yes. But is it amazing?
0:17:20 > 0:17:22Well, just wait and see, Chris.
0:17:24 > 0:17:27This is Charlie Wheeler and he's got an incredibly bendy body.
0:17:29 > 0:17:32Which means he can do this.
0:17:32 > 0:17:33This.
0:17:33 > 0:17:35And even this.
0:17:35 > 0:17:39Charlie is a contortionist break-dancer and he's so flexible
0:17:39 > 0:17:42he can make it look like there are no bones in his body at all.
0:17:42 > 0:17:45People don't really know if they should be impressed by it,
0:17:45 > 0:17:46if they should be disgusted by it.
0:17:46 > 0:17:50There's always that thing of, "Eugh, I don't want to see it."
0:17:50 > 0:17:53"Eugh!" It's kind of they have to watch it.
0:17:53 > 0:17:55CHRIS AND XAND: Oh, we must watch.
0:17:55 > 0:17:58So how does Charlie do these incredible moves?
0:17:58 > 0:18:01Well, inside lots of Charlie's limbs,
0:18:01 > 0:18:03he has super stretchy ligaments.
0:18:03 > 0:18:06That's the soft tissue that holds all our bones together.
0:18:06 > 0:18:09It means that he can bend certain joints
0:18:09 > 0:18:12much further than most people.
0:18:12 > 0:18:15Charlie trains all day, every day to make sure his ligaments
0:18:15 > 0:18:17are as bendy as possible.
0:18:17 > 0:18:20And he's just one of a handful of people in the world who can
0:18:20 > 0:18:23do this without inflicting a serious injury on themselves.
0:18:24 > 0:18:27Which is what would happen to me if I tried this.
0:18:27 > 0:18:29Charlie's most dangerous move -
0:18:29 > 0:18:31cartwheeling on his head.
0:18:31 > 0:18:35It's so hard that there are very few people who even attempt it
0:18:35 > 0:18:37and it took Charlie years to master.
0:18:37 > 0:18:39Now that's amazing.
0:18:48 > 0:18:50That's not how you grow organs.
0:18:50 > 0:18:51Xand.
0:18:51 > 0:18:52Here's Investigation Ouch!
0:18:55 > 0:18:56This is how it's done.
0:18:56 > 0:18:59Now don't worry, somebody isn't missing an ear.
0:18:59 > 0:19:01This one was made in a laboratory.
0:19:01 > 0:19:04Let's meet the real life Dr Frankenstein who built it,
0:19:04 > 0:19:08and find out more about how replacement body parts are made.
0:19:09 > 0:19:12This is Professor Alex Seifalian.
0:19:12 > 0:19:14He is working at the Royal Free Hospital in London,
0:19:14 > 0:19:18creating body parts out of a special substance called bioplastic.
0:19:20 > 0:19:21So what are you making here?
0:19:21 > 0:19:25We're making artery, to replace damaged artery in the body.
0:19:25 > 0:19:27Now an artery is a blood vessel,
0:19:27 > 0:19:31that carries blood from your heart out to the rest of your body.
0:19:31 > 0:19:34And this machine is making artificial arteries
0:19:34 > 0:19:37by squeezing liquid bioplastic over a tube.
0:19:37 > 0:19:40This solidifies in water and then when you peel it off,
0:19:40 > 0:19:42hey presto, you have an artery.
0:19:45 > 0:19:48So this is 2mm, very small artery.
0:19:50 > 0:19:54What's so amazing about this is I've handled real human arteries
0:19:54 > 0:19:56and this is how they feel.
0:19:56 > 0:19:58So could an artificial artery like this one
0:19:58 > 0:20:00be put inside a human being?
0:20:00 > 0:20:03Yes, it goes in the heart or it goes into the leg.
0:20:05 > 0:20:06Lots of things can happen to arteries.
0:20:06 > 0:20:09They can get injured, they can burst, they can get blocked.
0:20:09 > 0:20:11That's what happens when you have a heart attack.
0:20:11 > 0:20:14So if you can make an artificial artery that works,
0:20:14 > 0:20:16you can save millions of lives.
0:20:17 > 0:20:20But it's not just arteries Alex is creating here,
0:20:20 > 0:20:23there are more complex organs being made too.
0:20:25 > 0:20:28OK, this is ear scaffold.
0:20:28 > 0:20:30Oh so it feels very much like a real ear.
0:20:30 > 0:20:31Yes, indeed.
0:20:31 > 0:20:34But you couldn't just sew this onto a human body, could you?
0:20:34 > 0:20:37No, because you need to be covered with a stem cell.
0:20:38 > 0:20:41Stem cells stop the body rejecting the new ear.
0:20:41 > 0:20:45But what are they and how do they work?
0:20:45 > 0:20:46Well, different parts of your body
0:20:46 > 0:20:49are made up of different types of cells.
0:20:49 > 0:20:51They're everywhere - your blood,
0:20:51 > 0:20:52your brain,
0:20:52 > 0:20:54and even your hair.
0:20:54 > 0:20:56But stem cells live in your organs and bones too
0:20:56 > 0:20:58and they're like spares.
0:20:58 > 0:20:59They don't have a job yet
0:20:59 > 0:21:02and they're waiting to be told what to do.
0:21:02 > 0:21:05What's brilliant is that scientists have found a way
0:21:05 > 0:21:08to programme stem cells, giving them specific jobs.
0:21:10 > 0:21:13Feel your ear right now. All that gristly stuff, that's cartilage.
0:21:13 > 0:21:17Now Alex takes stem cells from the person who needs the new ear
0:21:17 > 0:21:20and he puts the stem cells onto the plastic ear
0:21:20 > 0:21:23and he tells them to become cartilage cells.
0:21:23 > 0:21:27The stem cells grow all over the plastic ear so that it won't
0:21:27 > 0:21:28be rejected by the body.
0:21:29 > 0:21:34But even with the magic stem cells, this still looks like a plastic ear.
0:21:34 > 0:21:35It needs skin over it.
0:21:36 > 0:21:39Now Alex has done the next bit of the procedure overseas
0:21:39 > 0:21:40and it went like this.
0:21:42 > 0:21:44Imagine I'm the patient.
0:21:44 > 0:21:47He placed the artificial ear covered in stem cells
0:21:47 > 0:21:49under the skin of the patient's arm,
0:21:49 > 0:21:53so that it gets a good blood supply and skin grows all over it.
0:21:53 > 0:21:57Then the ear covered in the patient's own skin is removed
0:21:57 > 0:22:00and repositioned where you'd normally expect to find an ear.
0:22:00 > 0:22:02Awesome.
0:22:02 > 0:22:04But Alex doesn't stop at ears. Oh, no.
0:22:06 > 0:22:09Two years ago, he performed the world's first
0:22:09 > 0:22:13successful transplant of an artificial windpipe.
0:22:13 > 0:22:17What's absolutely amazing about this, is that doctors are now
0:22:17 > 0:22:22able to make replacement body parts that actually live inside your body.
0:22:22 > 0:22:23Now it's early days,
0:22:23 > 0:22:26but hopefully soon they'll be able to make any body part.
0:22:26 > 0:22:30In the meantime, the next thing on Alex's list is a nose.
0:22:31 > 0:22:33I wonder who's going to end up with this?
0:22:38 > 0:22:40Your body is brilliant.
0:22:40 > 0:22:43It can even repair itself if you get injured.
0:22:43 > 0:22:46As this next boy will show you.
0:22:46 > 0:22:47# If there's a bone to break
0:22:47 > 0:22:48# He'll break it
0:22:48 > 0:22:50# If there's a knee to graze
0:22:50 > 0:22:51# He'll graze it
0:22:51 > 0:22:54- # If there's an ankle to sprain - # He'll sprain it
0:22:54 > 0:22:55# He's the unluckiest kid. #
0:22:58 > 0:23:03Your face has more blood vessels in it than anywhere else in your body.
0:23:03 > 0:23:05Yep, that's a lot of blood vessels.
0:23:05 > 0:23:08Up your nose there are little blood vessels close to the surface.
0:23:08 > 0:23:11They're very delicate so a nose picking finger can break them,
0:23:11 > 0:23:13making your nose bleed.
0:23:14 > 0:23:16First, your body needs to plug the gap.
0:23:17 > 0:23:19Using platelets that are you in your blood,
0:23:19 > 0:23:22they stick together like glue and stop the bleeding.
0:23:24 > 0:23:27A protein called fibrin arrives at the wound
0:23:27 > 0:23:31and creates a big structure that makes a big, hard scab.
0:23:32 > 0:23:35New skin cells work their way to the top.
0:23:35 > 0:23:38Then everything is cleaned by plasmin.
0:23:38 > 0:23:40This brilliant enzyme dissolves the scab
0:23:40 > 0:23:43and everything is left looking good as new.
0:23:43 > 0:23:44Not again.
0:23:46 > 0:23:47Oh, dear.
0:23:47 > 0:23:49# He's the unluckiest kid. #
0:23:50 > 0:23:53Another patient has had a rather unusual accident.
0:23:53 > 0:23:56Luckily, the team is ready to fix her.
0:23:59 > 0:24:00In accident and emergency,
0:24:00 > 0:24:03seven-year-old Amy has come in with...
0:24:03 > 0:24:04A flower growing out of her head?
0:24:04 > 0:24:07No, a sore foot and some very nice boots.
0:24:08 > 0:24:10Yes, but what's wrong with her foot?
0:24:10 > 0:24:13I'm going to go and get my toe checked to see
0:24:13 > 0:24:16if it's broken cos my brother he...
0:24:16 > 0:24:18Go on.
0:24:18 > 0:24:21..he pushed me and I got my foot stuck in the chair.
0:24:21 > 0:24:22Foot stuck in a what?
0:24:22 > 0:24:24A chair.
0:24:24 > 0:24:25How on earth?
0:24:25 > 0:24:27It all happened five days ago.
0:24:29 > 0:24:32Amy was at home in the lounge with her little brother.
0:24:32 > 0:24:35He had his favourite show on the telly and he wasn't changing
0:24:35 > 0:24:37the channel for anyone.
0:24:37 > 0:24:40Well, you know what it's like when you're fave show is on.
0:24:40 > 0:24:43To keep the peace, Amy decided it wasn't worth an argument,
0:24:43 > 0:24:46so she thought she'd go upstairs and play.
0:24:46 > 0:24:48As she got up she went to pick up her doll.
0:24:49 > 0:24:50Go on then Amy, off you go.
0:24:50 > 0:24:53But her brother thought she was going to grab the remote control
0:24:53 > 0:24:56off him and pushed her away.
0:24:56 > 0:24:59Amy went tumbling backwards, but her foot was trapped under the chair.
0:24:59 > 0:25:02Well, that'll teach you for playing nicely Amy, ouch!
0:25:03 > 0:25:05It really hurt that moment and stuff
0:25:05 > 0:25:09and we thought it would get better but it didn't.
0:25:09 > 0:25:12She might have got to grips with using crutches,
0:25:12 > 0:25:15but her foot still hurts and she can't put any weight on it.
0:25:15 > 0:25:19Which is a problem because Amy has some big plans on the horizon.
0:25:20 > 0:25:24Well, I hope it's better in two weeks, cos it's my birthday and for
0:25:24 > 0:25:29my birthday I'm doing ice skating and I need my toes to ice skate.
0:25:30 > 0:25:31Yep, you certainly do.
0:25:35 > 0:25:37So best to get you in to see Dr Adam Abraham.
0:25:39 > 0:25:42Come through please. I like your boots.
0:25:42 > 0:25:43Told you they were nice.
0:25:43 > 0:25:46Yeah, but what about the toe?
0:25:46 > 0:25:48So where's it the most painful, my love?
0:25:48 > 0:25:49They're painful there.
0:25:50 > 0:25:53OK. And does it hurt if I push in slightly?
0:25:53 > 0:25:55Only a little bit.
0:25:55 > 0:25:58OK, I think we need an X-ray just to make sure it's not broken.
0:25:59 > 0:26:02So time for Amy to hot foot it to X-ray.
0:26:05 > 0:26:06OK, nice and still for me.
0:26:08 > 0:26:11If your feet were x-rayed right now, it would look like you had
0:26:11 > 0:26:15twice the number of bones as your mum or dad's feet.
0:26:15 > 0:26:19That's because when you're born, your feet contain soft cartilage.
0:26:19 > 0:26:22As they grow, the cartilage develops into pieces of bone, but it's
0:26:22 > 0:26:25not until you're about 18 that they fuse together
0:26:25 > 0:26:27to make the 26 bones of an adult foot.
0:26:30 > 0:26:33But has Amy broken any of her foot bones?
0:26:33 > 0:26:34Time to find out.
0:26:36 > 0:26:37That's your toe.
0:26:39 > 0:26:41Now I can't see a break.
0:26:41 > 0:26:43There could be a number of reasons for that,
0:26:43 > 0:26:47one being that there wasn't a break to begin with, but she's either
0:26:47 > 0:26:51done some damage to the tendons or she's just sprained it very badly.
0:26:51 > 0:26:53Two, it's because it has been almost a week now.
0:26:54 > 0:26:58If the break was bad, we would have seen it.
0:26:58 > 0:27:00Regardless of the five, six day interval.
0:27:00 > 0:27:05So it's good news and all the doctor needs to do is strap up her toe
0:27:05 > 0:27:07to make sure it heals in the best position.
0:27:07 > 0:27:11But does it mean that Amy will make it to the ice rink?
0:27:11 > 0:27:12In two weeks.
0:27:12 > 0:27:14Yeah, you've got plenty of time,
0:27:14 > 0:27:17because that's almost three weeks from the original injury, isn't it?
0:27:17 > 0:27:18I think it should be fine.
0:27:18 > 0:27:20That's a relief.
0:27:20 > 0:27:22Time to hop it, Amy, your ice rink awaits.
0:27:24 > 0:27:25CHRIS AND XAND: Bye.
0:27:27 > 0:27:30Next time in accident and emergency, Max's lip has ballooned.
0:27:32 > 0:27:35We show you what your liver does.
0:27:35 > 0:27:36Whoa.
0:27:36 > 0:27:39And Chris finds out why we can't do without snot.
0:27:39 > 0:27:41Oh there's a couple of nice ones on there.
0:27:41 > 0:27:43Oh.
0:27:43 > 0:27:45Until then, that's all from...
0:27:45 > 0:27:47Operation Ouch!
0:27:49 > 0:27:52Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd