The times., 1899-10-01
THE MYTHICAL CORK LEG.
Information From an Expert in the
Artificial Limb Business.
(Frem the New Orleans Times -Democrat.)

(Frem the New Orleans Times Democrat.)
THE term cork leg is misnomer,
said man who used to be in the artificial
limb business. There never was any such
thing. and leg actually made OF cork
would be as unwieldy as sawlog The
up-to-date artificial limb is a very thin
shell Of weeping willow, covered with raw
hide, and some of them that come clear
up TO the hip have been built as light as
three pounds.
f'It is a singular fact that first-elass
leg. which is supposed to have a life of
about five years. viii be more than paid for
in the saving of shoes. OF course, the false
foot wears shoe, Just the same as the
real one. but for some reason that has
never been fully explained. it isn't as hard
on leather. \ fIesh-and- blood leg will wear
cut four shoes while its mechanical mate
is wearing out one due perhaps to the
foot-gear never being removed at night and
the lack of elasticity in the tread. The
best customer OF the makers is the Govern
ment, which pays for new artificial limb
once every five years for pensioners maim-
ed in war. The price fixed by law is SIS, but
scores of old soldiers simply draw the
money and make the same leg do for as
long as fifteen years at a stretch. Artificial
arms are made very successfully nowadays
and certain amount of action is secured
in the hand even when the stump reaches
only few inches from the shoulder. With
one of the styles. for example, a man can
lift his hat and replace it on his head with
a surprisingly natural movement. The
mechanism by which the false hand is
made to open and close is controlled by a
strap, which reaches TO the opposite shoul-
der slight shrug does the work, and
a little practice renders it imperceptible.
There has been wonderful improve
ment in limb making during the last ten
years, and properly constructed artificial
leg cannot be detected by the casual OBJ
server The chief difficulty with the old
style was its tendency to swing outward
in an arc of circle ar every step. That
has been entirely overcome. Some years
ago, when | was in the business at Chicago
| fitted out a man who had lost both legs
and both arms in a Dakota blizzard. When
first saw him he was simply a helpless
trunk lying on a cot in the hospital, and
his deplorable condition had reduced him
to state of despair bordering on insanity
| took great deal of interest in the case
and I fatter myself that | did a fairly good
job. When l got through with him he was
able to get up without assistance, walk
about, feed himself and do a hundred and
one little things that changed life from a
mere blank to something really endVrable
When he found himself emaneipated from
total helplessness he improved mentally
and now, | dare say, he wants TO live as
long as anybody.
Zone of the great obstacles to successful
limbfitting is the earelessness of surgeons
in performing amputations. An operation
may be entirely successful from surgical
standpoint, yet leave stump upon which
a false leg can never be worn with com
fort / know of number of cases in which
reamputation has been submitted TO for
the express purpose of correcting such diff
ficulties. Every medical college course
ought to include at least one lecture with
practical demonstrations by thoroughly
scientific maker of artificial limbs. 1t would
be of inestimable value to the students in
after practice"