The Middlebury register and Addison County journal. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1883-1885, 1883-01-12
ImnrOYed Artificial Limbs.

In practical demonstration or What
he said he called up three Of his en-
ployes-a young woman, boy, and
middle-aged mainland set them walk
ing to and fro in his large Office. There
was nothing peculiarly observable in
the gait of either-no heavy, wooden
tramp, no stiffness in the motions of
the feet, and no hating in the alter
mating steps, yet the young woman
wore one artificial leg, and each of the
others were supported on two wooden
limbs.
"There," he continued, with an air
Of triumph, sis the climax of scientific
invention in this direction. Nobody
would imagine, seeing them in the
street, that they have been crippled.
And the young woman will dance all
night with that substitute leg without
her partner suspecting its existence,
the man will skate, and the boy can run
a race. This is all attained by the use
of solid rubber foot that is elastic
under the heel tread and bends at the
toes like natural foot. could point
out to you in the street scores of men
that wear these solid rubber feet, not
only old soldiers, but victims of railway
and other accidents, and you would not
recognize in their easy, springy, and
noiseless walk that they were not in
possession of all their natural members.
And that is the great reason why Grip
pies are disappearing. 1t is very
common error that more men were
manned in battle during the war than
during any other time of equal duration
in the history of the country, but the
fact is that there are as many cripples
made by the railroads in each year now
as were made by the war in any year of
the war. That l affirm from intimate
knowledge of more than 5000 cases.
According to the war records there were
only about % 900 cripples made on both
sides, North and South, by the war. OF
course the exact number has not been,
and cannot be, ascertained, for not only
were many cases never reported, but in
not few instances injuries received in
battle led to amputations number of
years afterward, so long that they
could not have been included in the
official records or kept any exact
account of.
81 have made thousands of legs and
arms for soldiers, who are supplied with
them free of cost by the government.
They are allowed $75 for a leg and $50
for an arm, and are entitled every five
years to renewal of the artificial limb
or to its value in money a good leg
of willow, well made, with good steel
joints and springs and solid rubber
| foot, will last fifteen years with proper
care, and an arm is good for lifetime.
The elasticity of the rubber foot in
, creases the durability as well as the
, servicability of the leg. a lirst-class
, leg costs 800, but the one that is fur
l nished to soldiers and sailors for SIS is
equally good except in the matter OF
2 finish. | have heard of artificial legs
. being made to order in France with
S gold-platcd joints, and all sorts of fancy
5 business, costing several hundred dol
lars, but have never been called upon
e to get up anything of the kind, and il
4 had to wear an artilicialleg am SURE
: [ would prefer plain one with that
r great American invention, the solo
S rubber foot, rather than any gold-plate(
and jewelled one without it. / an
S called upon to furnish from 800 to Coz
d arms and legs, comparatively few o
It the former, every year, and you ma,
y say on my authority, that the railroa,
It system of this country, as at preSen
I, conducted, and the machinery used il
, so many branches of manufacture ma,
t, be relied upon to make three cripple
1t for every one that would be likely t.
be made by another war. OF course
there are numbers of men in this bust
all over the country, and | believe the
l all do pretty good business
+ A dealer in surgical appliances said
ii II often have to repair arms and leg.
e so that meet many persons who wea
such things, and | give you my wor
y that have been surprised more tina
+ once by men who came into my stor
e, and disclosed that they had artifci;
3. legs. had not observed any indic'
e, ton of it in their walk. l know a gi
il in the Fifth Avenue hotel, who has
a wooden leg with solid rubber foo
:. and nobody of all those about her evev
!, day, not even the other girls who slet