Press and daily Dakotaian. (Yankton, Dakota Territory [S.D.]) 1880-1889, 1888-02-18
Making Artificial Limbs.

Artificial limbs are made of willow,
which is the best wood for the purpose
known, on account Of its lightness and
strength and because it does not warp
and finishes nicely. The shaping of
the leg is done entirely by the eye,
aided by anatomical knowledge and
the few measurements that are taken.
The foot of the artificial leg is hollow,
great exaetness. They are hinged to
the rest of the foot, and are connected
with a double spring, which acts on
the toes and foot alternately. This
spring is connected with a spring of
Sleeps gut which passes back to the
foot, over a small half pulley-block in
the heel, and is attached to an adjust
able bar in the calf of the leg by a
steel wire with a hook at the end. The
other end of the small bar is connected
with the heel by two strings of cat-gut
of larger size, which are so stout that
they can sustain the weight of a ton.
1t used TO be the method to pass the
cat-gut through twoholes in the bot
tom of the foot and chen tie a simple
knot. But it was found that friction
even of 1.1000 of an inch would cause
the cat-gut to break in time. so Mr..
Douglas now passes the cords into a
small hole in front of the heel and
there fastens them by q steel ferrule.
In the centre of the half-pulley block
in the heel is a small steel axle and
the block is firmly fixed against a small
piece of hickory. The axle, with the
elasticity and the adjustable bar in the
calf of the leg, allow the foot to turn
with the pliance of the real article. If
the amputation is below the knee the
adjustment to the stump is made by a
socket of soft leather lined with the
finest buck-skin, and is fastened to the
stump by lacings. This socket is at,
tached to the artificial legs with strong
steel bars of the finest quality running
perpendicularly.
1t the amputation is above the knee
the socket is of wood instead of buck
skin and is fastened to the body by
elastic straps running over the shout
ders. The knee,joint is the finest piece
of workmanship in the leg. The con-
n%ection of the artificial leg and thigh
is sometimes made by cords of thread
running up the leg and fastened to the
thigh by straps; but the objection to
this method us that the threads would
soon wear out. so Mr.. Douglas hit on
ar ingenious method + his own. This
consists of a pliable strip of steel run
ming to a bar in the lower end of the
artificial thigh, and so the weight of
the body is thrown almost equally on
the bar and bolt. Very greatcare has
to be used in the manufacture of all
the bars, bolts, and steel work in the
leg. The bolts are made as hard as
possible, but the other steel parts are
made q little softer, so as to prevent
friction. The bolts are also inter
manageable, so when after i've years a
slight wear is noticed in them, FREE
quently SO slight that the roughness
can only be perceived by running the
finger RI the bolts, by turning
them a quarter round a fresh side can
be exposed to the rubbing. The leg,
after being shaped and fitted, is COW
cred with raw calf-skin, slightly damp,
and is then hung up to dry oyer a fire
for three or four days. The calf-skin
is then sand-papered to the smoothness
of a watch crystal and the limb is GOV
cred with fifty coatings of enamel,
which give it cold life-likeness. There
is, of course, every variety of size, Cor
persons weighing from forty to three
hundred pounds.-M. Y. Commercial
Advertiser.