The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1896-04-19
AMERICAN LEGS THE BEST.
We Make Artificial Limbs for the
Rest of the World.
From the New York Times.


Did you know that a surprisingly large
percentage OF persons all over the world
are walking on American feet2 There
were nve at least sent from this city yes
terday." Ii was an old soldier speaking to
reporter. Although he walked with a
little stiffness, no one would have sus-
pected that he had lost a leg in the service
of the United States.
1T is the TRUTH he continued earnestly,
that large proportion of the artificial
legs with which unfortunates like myself
are managing 10 get along very comfOrta-
bly, are made in the United States. The
matter is naturally of considera BILE interest
TO me. and have made quite a study OF
II. GreWsOme subject? Not hit of IL
You have never thought there was any
thing grewsome about old Peter Stuyve-
SAINT when you have seen him in pictures
and statuary and even on souvenir spoons
his peg leg always the most conspicuous
feature. 1t is those old peg legs from
which we of a later generation have been
Yankee ingenuity They have found
traces of artificial legs way back in the B.
G. period but ii Is only within the last
twenty years or so that we have had any
thing that could be used with any degree
OF comfort
my Uncle Nehemiah used to wear a
wooden leg That was long before I ever
thought it would be my fate to wear one
! remember more about the leg than about
Uncle Nehemiah. In fact think he had
left this world before l was old enough to
know much about him, but he had left his
wooden leg behind, and IL was a never
IdllnE source OF run LOT us boys. such
things were made with strong springs
then. As the wearer stumped around with
It the spring would work each time the leg
was raised, throwing the foot one step for
ward. 1t made a good playing We dom I
have such monstrosities now.
THE artificial limbs in this country
have been, as 1 have said. brought to
such a state of perfection that they are
sent all over the world There is one
establishment uptown where they have
nearly the whole of one side of a large
frsq full Of
velopes of letters they have received from
customers in foreign countries. The col
ten difficult to make out but you can
find envelopes from Budapest Yokohama
and Auckland, New Zealand, Port Eliza
beth South Africa Cape of Good Hone
Japan last month to a Col. Soto, who
had lost a leg in the Chinese-Japanese
war He sent to America through Count
O. kuma, Japanese nobleman, and a
customer of the same firm. That COM
pany sends out an average of five artificial
legs a day.
"Oh, yes. there is always a demand.
There are more unfortunate persons in
the world than you think, though they
have not so much to complain of now.
There are always more or less acct
dents. According to statistics, war claims
the greatest number of victims, railroads
come next and then there are disease
runaways, firearms, cold weather and any
number of other things. The largest per
cent. of those to whom accidents occur
are men. Only Y per cent. are women.
Those narrowtoed shoes make a difference
in the manufacture of American feet
The artificial foot is made for a pretty
shoe, and the natural foot has to match
1t as best 1t can. Vanity? There's any
amount of il.
Ibid 1 tell you about the poor old col
ored woman? Some one who was inter.
ested in her had ordered the best Kind of
an artificial leg that could be made The
manufacturers naturally made 1t of a
d d'sly i hYge' = and the poor old creature
beautiful white specimens in the window
and she wanted to be at least part white
when she could as well as not She sent
her leg back and 1t was made white
There is no attempt made to make a
natural flesh tint. When an artificial hand
is used il is worn with a glove. If the
tint could be made right in the first place.
exposure TO the atmosphere would soon
change il. Hands are not so much in de-
mand, anyway They are often valuable
to laborers, as hook can be placed in
the palm and used to carry heavy loads,
An economical man has a hook that can
be placed in the end of the artificial wrist,
and he puts aside his hand for Sunday
"There are artificial fingers. too that a
musician can use, but they are compare
lively expensive. These are of rubber, and
can be used very well for playing One of
the improvements is in using the rubber
The feet are made of it, and they give
with an elasticity that is more like the
human foot than anything else can be.
Il have seen the picture of a man who
could walk a uSht-rOpe with a wooden
leg. He lost his natural leg by falling
from a balloon on to a church steeple.
I shouldn't advise every one to expert
ment with tight-rope walking, however.
There was an eminent jurist, whose
name is not unfamiliar to people around
here, who. when he had had a drop too
much of wine, was in the habit of un-
fastening his wooden leg and eudgeling
every one within reach as heavily as he
| did his legal opponents with his wits
In the courtroom on his sober days.