The Wellington enterprise. [volume] (Wellington, Ohio) 1867-188?, 1881-11-02
Artificial Limbs.

A manufacturer of these useful ap-
pendages said to New York reporter;
The leg of to-day is very different
from that of twenty years ago. Then it
was o heavy, loose -jointed, cumber-
some, creaky affair. Every one remem-
bers how easy it was to tell man with
an artificial leg as soon as he came with
in sight or hearing. The creaking was
perhaps the most disagreeable part of
the affair That has been done away
with by means of one or two little pat
ented Improvements. The principal one
of these Is q concealed screw at the
point of the leg and foot that enables
the wearer OF the leg to stop the creak-
ing at any time. Once upon time he
would have TO send it back 70 the maker
to have the joints frightened. and the
cost would have been $40. Now he can
do it for himself without a cent Of cost
Then there is Q contrivance worked by
band passing down from the shoulder
strap 10 throw the leg forward as the
wearer moves. This Is particularly
useful TO ladies, as 1t pushes the skirts
with no more effort than the action of
the natural limb occasions. But, above
all, the support of the body has been
transferred to different part of the
leg. Formerly, the stump rested on Q
/ cushion in the socket, and the weight
fell upon this sensitive point Of contact
Now, by means of steel braces, the re-
gion of contact is almost entirely at
either side of the thigh, where there Is,
comparatively, no sensitiveness. A man
with an artificial leg, nowadays, can do
almost anything that . man with two
natural legs can. For instance, in this
letter here q man writes that he has
travelled horseback and afoot thousands
of miles over Wyoming, Colorado and
Mexico on one.
s.What provision Is there for per-
SON who loses the whole or part OF an
arm pr asked the reporter.
The manufacturer stepped TO q case
of iesh-colored artificial members and
took out an arm. The hand was COW
cred with perfect-fitting glove. There
was an arm to be worn by woman
hanging next TO the one that he selected,
and the small hand was encased IN .
long many-buttoned white kid glove.
He put loop at the end of q white
woolen band attached TO the upper part
Of the arm around his right arm, slip
ped the baEd about his shoulders, and
| then inserted his hand into the socket of
the artificial arm Then he took off
and replaced the reporters hat, the
artificial fingers being worked by
means of mechanism in the socket He
also raised and held an open book up
before him. @
"I am not at all expert in the man
agement Of these arms" he observed !;
sbut II i had to depend upon one Of
them for the remainder of my life, /
suppose that would soon learn how to
make the best Of 1t. The stump, acting
upon the mechanism in the socket,
opens and shuts the fingers and makes
them hold any article desired. The hn-
gers are composed of . steel skeleton,
covered with soft India rubber, we'll
shaped, and they have natural feeling
70 another person. One man writes that
he can draw and paint, and that he
holds . medal for his drawing from the
New Hampshire State Fair. Another
says that he can write well, Is indeed
his letter shows, and can send telegraph
messages - sn operator.