St. Landry democrat., 1885-10-10
ARTIFICIAL LIMBS.
How They Are Made to Duplicate the
Original.

Court street store III winch WOFkS an Ola.
cray-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
deplorable lack of calf, while others vie
in shapeliness with the neither limbs of a
Greek slave or Venus de Milo.
The old man when visited recently
was hard at work, but consented to give
the writer few particulars in regard to
his business.
CHOW, that he said, pointing to
shapely leg hanging, over the fire, '.be-
longs to Newburyport young lady"
s:That,'' continued the old man, sis
what's known as knee bearing leg. |
made it for her three years ago, when
she was about fourteen years old. She
lost her leg a little below the knee-So
short she couldn't wear socket bear
ing-leg, so she was obliged to have
kneer-bearing, to walk on the knee. She
has grown little, since, and so was
obliged to heightened it out | cut the
leg in two at the calf and put in piece,
dovetailing it and fastening it with glue.
I've histed child's leg least at four
inches before it was given up, when its
parents were poor and couldn't afford a
new one. !"
How did the young lady lose her
leg?"
II don't know; didn't ask her. I
never ask anybody, for some are very
sensitive about it, especially men. You
see great many men lose their legs by
being run over when they are drunk. /
do not believe I've asked a man that
question for ten years. Now here,
picking up a 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. I have just made
one for a fslll-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 dovetailed The
bearing-down strain is borne in part by
them and partly by an endless and very
powerful cord-some make it of silk,
but | always use DEMONSTRATING 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.
1.-THE ankle-joints are, 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
spring that brings the toe into place
after each step. The wood? use will
low altogether, and have never used any
other. [ have shown you one used
where the leg has been lost below the
knee.
Nov this" producing another leg,
lis for one lost above the knee. It 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 a
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 a
stout Welt-part elastic and part non
elastic 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. 1t is put on
wet and dries to the leg, very closely, |
adding a 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 |
doubt if they do any good. I always |
put them in, because a 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 it is set and you can't wash
it off with anything except alcohol.
81 II show you leg,n producing
particularly lifelike one, the foot of
which bore shoe and stocking, '.that
has been painted seventeen years and is,
you see, in pretty good condition"
What do you consider your most
singular case?'
THAT of little boy that lives near
the old reservoir. He was brought to
me in his fathers arms whenhe was six
teen or seventeen months old, and had
never walked step. I didn't dare TO
touch him, he was so young and tender,