The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1875-09-23
Artificial IeRs.

Vs
Awriter says: What are wooden pegs
compared with artificial legs, No more
than: penny dolls compared with Mr..
Cremer'awalking and talking young la
dies. We know that Vaucanson, the ia
nous Trench mechanician, 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
compressOrs, etc.-a flute-playcr, q TAM
bourine-player, duck that could quack
and gobble almost like a live duck, etc.
Our nineteenth artists have shown
that, with much simpler means, they can
produce not merely wooden peg at the
end of a sheath or socket, but a 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, dhd Mr.. So
and-So's leg acquires fame analogous in
character (though, of course, humber in
degree) to that of the dainty work of a
sculptor, painter, or engraver The move
ments of a natural leg, especially of the
ankle and foot, are beautifully adapted to
the services required. Laudable attempts
have been made to initiate these move
ments by mechanism, and the success of
the attempts has been so great as to render
most welcome aid to persons who have
had the hard fate Of being subjected to the
amputation of a leg. How the real artist
studies well-formed leg, a handy leg, a
knock-kneed leg Cf such vulgar terms are
to be permittedD is very instructive. 1t
would be bad architecture to produce a
handsome straight leg as companion to
one irredcemably 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 we'll 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 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 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-a continuance
which greatly facilitates the shaping of
the rough block of marble from which a
statue or bust is to emerge. The machine
has the action of a pantograph-tran
ring from clay model to marble block
the more prominent undulations, curva-
lures, protuberances, depressions and ir-
Irregularities. An assistant-an artist work
man-manipulates this apparatus, trans
ferring in a rough way the features of a
bust or figure to block of marble, lcav-
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 a 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 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.