Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1884-12-18
LEGS TO ORDER.
interesting Items About TIN Army 0i
Crippled Soldiers.


I'VE have the names Of about eigh-
teen thousand veterans who have ap-
piled for repairs" said Mr.. Ramsey,
who has charge of the artificial limb
department Of the surgeon generals
office, to a Washington Star reporter
You know we fit them out with new
sets Of legs. arms, or other apparatus
every five years. 1t is now getting
toward the close of one of those peri
DDS, and we have repaired IA, 900 vet
erans."
Aren't the one-legged men dying
OFF," asked the reporter.
Now that's an interesting question
| guess they are. [ presume many of
those whose names we have have
since died, but I can't tell certainly.
Now, as I've said, every five years we
reconstruct the manned veterans of
the army, but they have their choice
to take the repairs or the money. The
allowance for a leg is $75, for any
thing less than leg is $50. From one
period to another many old veterans
drop out. Some of them make one
or two applications, and then we
ally, we conclude when they don't
send for their money or legs they
must be dead and have no more use
for them. But we don't limit our
selves to men who have actually lost
their limbs. A man who has simply
lost the use of his limbs is entitled to
wooden leg or arm, as the case map
be. though he can't wear them. So
you see we can't keep record of all
the One-legged men, but [ guess there
aren't as many as there used to be.
Yet there are lots of them, and many
who haven't any legs at all, and some
with neither legs nor arms. Then
there are many who have not lost
their limbs, but who have no power
to move, There is one man who gets
two arms and two legs allowance,
who can not move any part 0s
his body except the little finger
on the left hand, which he can bend
the least little bit. There is another,
New England soldier, whose arms
and legs are dead, and who is blind in
both eyes. Not long ago man came
Ia here with no arms and sat down at
one of the desks and wrote with his
teeth. It was not particularly fine
writing, but you could read it. |
know of another mamie was in the
sharpshooter's service-Who can't be
stood on his feet because he is bent in
the back so that his head would strike
the floor first. Think how many
years these men have suffered. and
many of them are still living! Why
there's hardly enough left of some of
them to hold together
But you asked if they were dying
off. Now, here's roll we are just
completing" and he laid several i'm
ynense tally sheets out on his desk.
"You can see how they run. This is
the fourth period, and here's man
who has gotten four legs-quite a
number for one man if he used them
all at once And here's another who
has gotten four legs and four arms.
No, we don't furnish heads, but we
supply parts of heads, jaws, and sec
tions of skulls and eyes. Now, here's
man who got one leg in the first
period, and has never gotten any
since; he is probably dead. Aut here
is another who came in for repairs
just after the close of the war aud was
never heard from again ustil now,
when he comes up again. He didn't
wear ont very fast. Some men wear
well and don't bother about getting
repaired SO often. Here's another
man" he added, pointing to another
name on the list, ''here's a man who
comes up now for the first time, hav-
ing done without his limb all these
years. 1t runs this way, you see, all
the way through. These men who
have not applied for their fourth leg,
or whatever it is they want. we con-
clude must be dead. Some, [ pre-
sumo, will live to get five Or six legs,
Or as many arms"