The Osceola times., 1885-10-10
ARTIFICIAL LIMBS.
How They Are Made to Duplicate the
Original.

Court street store in which works an old,
gray-haired man. Surrounding him on
all sides are legs Of many shapes and
sizes. Some are short and stout, with
rather too much calf for strictly classical
beauty, others are long and slim, with a
deplorable lack of calf, while others vie
in shapcliness with the neither limbs of a
Greek slave or Venus de Milo.
The old man when visited recently
was herd at work, but consented to give
the writer few particulars in regard to
his business.
snow, that" he said, pointing to q
shapely leg hanging over the fire. ''be-
longs to a Newburyport younglady."
That" continued the old man, sis
what's known as knee bearing leg. l
made it for her three years ago. when
she was about fourteen years old. She
lost her leg little below the knec-so
short she couldn't wear socket bear
ing-leg, so she was obliged to have a
kneer-bearing, to walk on the knee. She
has grown little since, and so was
obliged to lengthened it out. cut the
leg in two at the calf and put in piece,
dovetailing it and fastening it with glue.
I've histed childs leg least at four
inches before it was given up, when its
parents were poor and couldn't afford
new one"
'.How did the young lady lose her
leg3"
II don't know; didn't ask her. !
never ask anybody, for some are very
sensitive about it, especially men. You
see a great many men lose their legs by
being run over when they are drunk.
do not believe I've asked man that
question for ten years. Now here"
picking up leg in process of construc-
ton, "legs don't weigh as much as
you'd think. Including all the IRON
work, that leg wouldn't weigh more
than five pounds. l have just made
one for q full-grown woman that
weighed, everything complete, including
the upper socket, exactly three pounds.
made it particularly light on account
of her being sickly. / want to show
you now whether we get the durability.
The steel ankle-joints are, you see, set
in the wood, and slightly broader at the
ankle than further up the leg, which
makes them sorter dovet,iled. The
bearing down strain is borne in part by
them and partly by an endless aud very
powerful cord-some make it of silk,
but always use linen-extending from
the heel of the foot over bar in the
calf of the leg, which is hollow. The
cord relieves principally what is called
the nosing,' where the shin plays into
the foot.
"The ankle joints are, you see, con-
nected by steel bolt, which makes the
leg particularly strong about the ankle,
where the most strain comes. The toe
joint is located at the same place as in
the natural foot, and works with
spring that brings the toe into place
after each step. The wood? use will
low altogether, and have never used any
other. l have shown you one used
where the leg has been lost below the
knee.
Now this" producing another leg.
sis for one lost above the knee. 1t is
the same in every particular as the other,
with the addition Of wooden socket
to secure the stump. 1t works at the
knee in very natural manner on q
simple bolt, with spring extending
from the thin piece to the lower part Of
the top socket. This spring throws the
foot forward, in walking, the minute the
toe leaves the floor.
"You will observe that If the amputa-
ton is above the knee the leg must be
held in place by suspenders made of
stout welt-part elastic and part non
extending over the shoulder.
If with a long stump below the knee,
the leather socket, laced above the
knee, is usually sufficient.
"If, however, there is but a short
stump below the knee strap is required.
Every weak point in leg is specially
guarded, in some way or other; and
when the steel and woodwork is COM
plete the leg is covered with calfskin
similar to a drum-head. II is put on
wet and dries to the leg, very closely,
adding great deal to its strength.
Then that is sand-papered down to
surface, and the holes in the calf opened
out. They are for ventilation. but l
doubt if they do any good. always
put them in, because good many are
Of the notion they are. Then the leg is
painted. use alcoholic paint, made of
gum and dry lead. The minute it
strikes water ii is set and you can't wash
it off with anything except alcohol.
"I'll show you leg" producing
particularly lifelike one, the foot of
which bore a shoe and stocking, THAT
has been painted seventeen years and is,
you see, in pretty good condition"
"What do You consider your most
singular caseP"
"That Of little boy that lives near
the old reservoir. He was brought TO
me in his fathers arms when he was six
teen or seventeen months old, and had
never walked step. didn't dare TO
touch him. he was so young and tender,
and his father took him TO DIR. Shaw.
The doctor advised him to get limb
right off so as to prevent hip disease on
the other side. That had never occurred
TO me. The doctors opinion took all
the responsibility away from me; and so
went to work at once, and made leg
for the boy. He learned to walk with
1t, and walks and runs with il now so
well that you'd hardly know he'd lost
leg. l have customers all over the
country-one in Saginaw. Mich, and
another in Leavenworth, Kan, and at
least dozen in Nova Scotia. In the
Boston custom-house l have quite
number"
"How long will leg wearp''
at is question often asked me, and
very hard one TO answer have GUS
toner that has worn leg for twenty