, 1885-07-29
ARTIFICIAL LIMBS.
HOW THEY ARE MADE TO ouPul-
CATE THE ORIGINALS
"Undsrpinning'' Of All shape aud sIr,-
-Construction Of an Artificial Leg
-How the Action IL secured
a singular Case.


There Is q small room in the rear II \
Court street store in which works an old.
gray haired man. Surrounding him on
all sides are legs OF many shapes and SIZE
Some nre short and stout. with rather too
much calf for strictly classical beauty .
others are long and slim. with Il deplor
able lnck OF calf. while others vic in
shat eliness with the neither limbs OF a
Greek slave or a Venus de Milo The old
man when visited recently was hard at
work. but consented TO give the writer n
few particulars in regard TO his business
Ow that. he said. pointing Ia u
shat ely leg hanging over the fire. he
longs TO n Newburyport young lady.
That, continued the old man. is
what's known as n knee bearing leg |
made il for her three years ago. when she
was about 10 years old. She lost her leg
q little below the knee-so short that she
couldn't wear a socket bearing leg. and
so she was obliged to have a knee bearing
to walk on the knee. She had grown n
little since. and so was Obliged to
lengihen II out | cut the leg in two at
the calf and put in a piece. dovetailing ii
and fastening it with glue. I've histed
a child's leg at least four inches before il
was given up, when Its parents were poor,
and couldn't afford a new one.
Now here. - picking up a leg in process
"a ia ~ ~ y 80 -
much as you think Including all
the ironwork. that leg wou dn't
weigh more han five pounds. /
have Just made one for a full-grown
woman that weighed, everything complete.
including the upper socket. c actly three
pounds, made it particularly light on
account OF her being sickly. ] want to
show you now where we get the dura.
bility. 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 do setailed. The bear
ing-down strain is borne in part by them
and partly by an endless and very power
full cord some make it OF silk but l al
ways use Understanding from the heel
of the foot over a bar In the calf OF tho
leg. which is hollow. Tho cord relieves
principally what Is called the nosing. ,
whore the shin plays into the foot
The ankle joints Hre, you see. con
nected by a 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, aud works with a spring
Il at brings the toe INTO place after each
step The woods | use willow alto
gether, and have never used any other. /
have shown you one used where The leg
has been lost below the knee.
Now this. " producing another leg. is
for one lost above the knee. 1t IS the
same in every particular as the other,
with the addition of II wooden socket to
secure the stump 1t works at the knee
in u very natural manner on a simple
bolt. with a spring extending from the
thin piece to the lower art of the top
socket. This spring throws the foot for
ward. in walking. the minute the toe
leaves the floor.
you will observe tina ii the amputa
tion Is above the knee the leg must be
held in place by Suspenders made on a
stout welt-part elastic and part non
elastic-oXtending over the shoulder III
with a long stump below the knee. the
leather socket. placed above the knee. is
usually sufficient
~If. however. there is but u short stump
below the knee a strap is required Every
weak point in u leg is specially guarded.
in some way or other; aud when the steel
and woodwork are complete the leg is
covered with talfskin. similar to n drum
head. Il is put on wet and dries to the
leg. very closely. adding u great deal to
its strength. Then that is sand papered
down to a surface. aad tue holes in the
calf opened out They are for v%entila-
ton. but | doubt if they do any good. |
always put them in. because a coed 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 il is set, and you can { wash
ii off with anything except alcohol
I'm show you a leg. - producing q par
ticnHsrly lifelike one, the foot Of which
borcA shoe and stocking. that has been
panied seventeen years, and is. you sec.
in pretty good condition. ="
What do you consider your mos.
singular casel'
"That Of n little boy that lives near the
old reservoir. lie was brought to me in
his fathers arms when he was l6 or II
months old. and had never walked n step
| didn't dare TO touch him, he was so
young and lender. and his father took
him to DR. Shaw. The doctor advised
him 10 get a limb right off. so as to pre-
vent hip disease on the other side. That
had never occurred to nc The doctors
opinion took all the responsibility away
from me, and so | went 10 work ut once.
and made a leg for the boy. He learned
to walk with IL, and walks and runs with
II now so well that you'd hardly know
he'd lost a leg.
How long will a leg wearg~
1t Is a question often asked me, and a
very hard one to answer. | have n Gus
toner that has worn a leg for twenty. one
years. and l know men who would not
wear a leg two years. 1t is just as It is
with everything else. Some take care Of
them and others stave them out very
qui ky. The government. you know,
allows soldiers a new leg every five years.
That looks as If they thought i've years
was the average. but good legs will. ia
my opinion average at least eight years.
The price the government sets on en- is
about the lowest they can be made for.
though some manufacturers ask twice as
much as that
"How long does il take to make a leg
Well. III tell you. In war times they
said II a man made a leg in eight days
they were satisfied. -
Iow-r hrt.. for clervxmsn-