The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1900-07-08
REPAIRS TO HUMANITY
The Great Work of Making Arii-
fetal Legs and Arms.
Vnfortunntes Obliged to Use Them
Thereby Secure PrOIOngatiOn of
EHistence-Impossib of Dupli-
eating Elbow Joints With Springs
ana HinEes-A Thriving Industry.

Although the artificial limb industry OF
Chicago is restricted to an annual output
of about LOCO legs, arms, hands. feet and
parts thereof, it is as large and as i'm
portant an industry In its field of op-
Grafton as the most mammoth of the
manufacturing enterprises. The average
price of limbs ranges from $50 to 500.
The art of making artificial limbs dates
hundreds of years before the Christian
era, but modern Chicago makers are
splicing pieces and making whole limbs
for every civilized country in the world.
Only about fifty people are employed In
the factories, but most of them are men OF
decided mechanical ingenuity. In addi-
ton to the most careful adjustment OF
the several parts of the joints, accord
ing to existing Devices they are cons; ant
ly experimenting on models for still bet
ter results. That, together with superior
workmanship, is the reason why Chicago
made artificial limbs are favorites the
world over.
Inc makers do more than fill orders
or, at least some of them do. They study
the anatomy of man so as to have a bet
ter understanding of what is required Of
artificial limbs; besides. they keep them
selves well informed of the cause of the
demand for limbs and the percentage of
one Kind over another. The proportion
is ten legs or parts of legs to one of
arms. Seventy per cent of the whole out
put comes from employees of railways and
per cent from passengers. Ten per cent
comes from amputations necessitated by
consumption of the bone" as they call
it, per cent from the army and navy, and
IL per cent from miscellaneous causes
II is curious fact that the elbow joint
cannot be duplicated with springs and
hinges; hence an amputation above the ell
bow causes almost total loss OF the arm,
but an artificial arm may be put on so true
to nature that it will deceive completely
rc.tl :iera is use for it, when the fact is
made very GEAR t5at at ucst II is only
ornamental. But when the amputation IS
below the elbow the arm can be spliced
out. and even the fingers can be made
somewhat serviceable.
While it is found that a combination of
leather and aluminium makes a lighter and
yet stronger limb, with decidedly better
knee, ankle, and toe action, than other
materials some experts still hold that wood
is the best material under all circum.
stances, and they will make no other kind |
The business Of artificial limb making Is
called the .'prosthetic industry" and |
means literally the process of adding to |
the human body some artificial part in |
place of one that may be wanting. One |
who makes such artificial parts is called a |
prothetician or prothetist.
Hercdotus speaks of At least one man,
an Alean, who procured wooden foot to
take the place Of the natural one which |
he lost while escaping from a Spartan
prison. Pliny tells of a man 167 B. c.,
who wore an artificial hand OF his own
well done that he could use it to WELD |
sword in battle. There are the remains
Of an artificial leg in the museum of the
Royal College OF Surgeons in London
which was exhumed from tomb at Ca
pura in 1858. The official catalogue says:
THE leg is made with pieces of thin
bronze fastened by bronze nails to a
wooden core. Two iron bars. having holes
in their free ends. are attached to the
upper extremity of the bronze A quad
rilateral piece of iron found near the posi-
ton of the foot is thought to have given
strength to it. The skeleton had its waist
by belt of sheet bronze edged
with small rivets. probably used to fasten
a leather lining. The vases found in the
tomb place the period al about 300 years
B. c.
Since the fifteenth century artificial limb
making has been regular industry in
nearly all countries.
Not only many doctors. bat nearly all ,
he laity have notion that the am ,
)utation of a limb shortens the life of ,
he Individual and also the greater the
quantity Of the limb cut off the greater
he abridgment of life. But statistics con-
radict that theory fatty. By careful COM
,arison for half century 1t is ascertained I
hat cutting off limbs-not all the limbs. !
# course-does not shorten life at ALL. OF $
he patrons of an artificial limb factory ,
ess than % per cent died during a term of
orty years. and nearly every one Of them {
lied from accident or old age, and not 7
me died as the direct result of being t
hort a leg or an arm. 1t is claimed that 6
here is no record Of anyone, or but very c
ew al least who died of pulmonary or q
ardiac diseases who wore an artificial '
limb. except where the disease was con- e
racted before the limb was amputated. t
However. the amputation of limbs is not =
by protheticians as pre- 4
entive of lung and heart troubles.
Perhaps it has never occurred to many l
hat the great body of wearers of artii-
ial limbs are poor people-that is poor
eople in contradistinction to the rich. 1t
very rare that wealthy person is seen v
nth an artificial limb. and the reason Is d
lear enough. II is the man who works
18th his hands in the mill on the railway
i the mine, in the gangway OF the steam a
oat and in the other avenues of employ b
lent where danger to limb and life is p
lways present that has to repair himself Il
18th artificial bits OF mechanism to splice II
Ut his once unbroken body And so the P
uestion Of the first investment and the b
ibsequent repairs Of the delicate joints is G
ne Of no little moment to poor people, but e!
ley are necessary expenditures and have "
be provided for. 1t means time lost and 81
heavy drain upon wages for long time. q
lvestors have reduced all this to the min u
mum, and competition obliges limb re
akers to use the best of material and do 2
eir work well. This is particularly true | II
the ankle joint, where the strain is al u
avs great and where the mechanism is | III
,licate and omplicated.-Chicago Chroni- =; n
e. %