The Opelousas courier., 1889-02-09
-ARIlFlCIAL LIMBS.
ne Points and Incidents Re-
arding the Trade in Them.
( Crippled Veterans of the
War are Supplied.

L-Et t l
New FORK manufacturer to a Sun re-
porter s'that people can get along as
wcllw WI artificial limbs as they can with
a%rtificiF seetll, but the art or industry is
fast app Fac ing that stage of perfection,
Men AMI somen can eat and drink, play :
the wolf write, and do various kinds
of light ork with artificial arms and
hands, All they can dance, skate, and
u with mfcial legs.
"The prs thrtion Of those whose mis-
fortunes reqtHle the use of artificial limbs
is about n infs'e5 600 of the population.
Of these, from ,cafspty-fvc to thirty per
cent. are women. the limbs lost, the
legs are in the Largo majority-about
s~eventy-iye per cent.
"A great many are under the impress
sion that the war made mosS aathc Grip
pies now living. The factartilsat for
one person who lost a limb in 1agSEar7
twenty to ~twenty-four lost theirs thrGveh
some accident on the railways, or Id
some other manner entirely disconnected
from warfare. The railroad is the great
source of u business, probably one-
half the cases that come to us beng at
tributed to railway accidents"
81 suppose" said the reporter, "that
you meet with some queer incidents in
the course of your business?'
eyes, I remember a customer coming
to me not long ago for his second arti-
fetal leg. He had worn the first for a
Number Of years. He said that he was
in much trouble of mind. He was going
to get married, and had been counting
his intended for q year and a half, and
she did not know but that he was en-
tirely sound. The question in his mind
was whether to tell her before, or wait
until after marriage. I advised him to
inform her beforehand, as otherwise she
might have legal ground to apply for an
annulment of the marriage on the ground
of deception. He told me afterward
that he followed. my advice, and the lady
concluded that she loved him none the
less on account of his misfortune.
Another singular incident, but of a diff
ferent character, was in connection with
the collision of two steamers, one of
which had just started from this port
for Europe, and had to put back again
on account of the damage. None of the
passengers were injured by the accident,
and a friend jokingly remarked in my
presence that / would, no doubt, be
greatly disappointed that there was no
loss of limb, as | would therefore get no
revenue from the occurrence. Strangely
enough, the day following, a mar from
Ohio walked into my Office and said tha4
he wanted an artificial leg. He related
that he had been a passenger on the
steamer which had to put back on ac-
count of the collision, having started
from his home In Ohio to pay a visit to
Europe. When the vessel returned to
port he concluded, on reflection, to give
up his European trip and to expend the
money he had reserved on the trip in
providing himself with a new artificial
leg in place of the one which he then
wore. So it seems that the collision oil
those two steamers brought business
after all.
asNho supply limbs for the soldiersa'
!, 1.-THE business is distributed among
different manufacturers, nearly, If not
all in the large cities of the Atlantic
coast. No Union soldier who has lost {
limb in the war need be without an ar
tifcial me-. Northern manufacturer
] also supply d good many artificial limbs
to confederate veterans, on the orders O.
i States of the South, that have made pro
. vision for the MANNED of the Lost Cause
: but a great many of the Southern veter
ans are ~unprovided, for the reasons tina
the appropriations for their relief are no
sufficiently frequent and adequate
s'Of private cases, dothe greater mum,
Der come from the city or country?"
az think the dangers of city ant
country life are about even, so far as tn
: artificial limb trade is an indicator. Tn
moving machine is a fair set-off to thu
horse cars