Knoxville journal. [volume] (Knoxville, Iowa) 1874-1986, 1875-09-23

A writer says: What are wooden per
compared with artificial legs. No mora
than penny dolls compared with Mr.
Cremer's walking and talking young Il.
dies. We know that Vaucanson. the IA
nous French mechanism, could initiate
almost anything by means Of automatic
arrangements Of wheels, axles, springs.
ratchets, tubes, levers, screws, membranes.
elastic cords, air-pipes, bellows, or air.
compFessors, eta fiute-player, tam.
bourine-player, a duck that could auack
and gobble almost like live duck. etc.
Our nineteenth century artists have shown
that. with much simpler means, they can
produce not merely q wooden peg at the
end of sheath or socket, but piece Of
mechanism admirably initiating the living
leg, knee, ankle, instep, and foot There
is something more than mere trade com.
petition here. Each artist takes an artists
pride in his best productions, and Mr. So
and-So's leg acquires fame analogous In
character Though, of course, humber in
degree) to that of the dainty work of
sculptor, painter, or engraver. The move.
ments Of natural leg, especially OF the
ankle ana foot, are beautifully adapted TO
the services required. Laudable attempts
have been made 10 initiate these move
ments by mechanism, and the success q
the attempts has been so great as TO render
most welcome aid 10 persons who have
had the hard fate of being subjected to the
amputaiion Of leg. How the real artist
studies well-formed leg, handy leg. A
knock kneed leg Qf such vulgar terms are
to be permitted) is very instructive. Il
would be bad architecture to produce
handsome straight leg as companIon to
one Incidentally crooked. The socket into
which the amputated stump is to be fitted
is an important part Of the mechanism;
seeing that If this is not well adapted in
size and shape, all else will fail. We
must not run away with the idea that this
sheath Is merely leather case, some
thing like the top of q military boot; the
true artist would scorn such clumsiness
He first takes cast of the stump in wax.
much in the same manner as dentist
takes a cast of the gums for q brand-new
set Of teeth; and a wooden model is made
from this cast in singular way. Mr..
Graw, one of the leading artists in this
line, being once in the studio of Mr. No
bic, the sculptor, watched the action of
the pointing machine continuance
which greatly facilitates the shaping OF
the rough block of marble from which
sldtuC VI Dust - W SlhIiEN- Hc
has the action of a antograph-transfer.
ring from clay model to marble block
the more prominent fluctuations, eurva-
lures, protuberances, depressions and ir-
Irregularities. An assistant--an artist work.
man-manipulates this apparatus, trans
ferring in rough way the features Of
bust or figure TO block of marble, leav.
ing TO the master sculptor the finishing
chiseling which gives expression to all.
Well, the artificial leg.maker, watching
the manner In which this machine works,
conceived the idea of adapting similar
appliance for shaping his stump sockets
He devised the means of copying on the
inside of hollow block of wood all the
Irregularities of the model, so as TO pro .
duce concave reflex of a convex object
Even the position of any prominent veins
and leaders on the stump could be trans,
ferred by this means, and the patient be
thus shielded from all undue pressure.