The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1906-07-22
SOMETHING ABOUT
HUMAN PATCHWORK
Artificial Ears and How They
Are Made
SOME IMITATION NOSES
Manufacturer of Artificial Limbs Talks
Interestingly of His Work.
Glass Eyes in Every
Size and Color.
From the Washington Post.

From the Washington Post
Poe's Man Who Was Used Up" might
be a feasible reality. or unrealty, in these
days of perfected human patchwork.
There is a maker of artificial human anat-
omy in this city, whose skill is per-
haps unrivaled throughout the country,
and who could disclose some remarkable
revelations If he chose to.
People" he said, "who go about wear
very uncommon, but 1t may not be gen.
orally known that some persons there arc
who rejoice in the possession of artificial
noses and also lips which are not their
own natural ones. Men and women with
glass eyes may be met with almost every
day, but who has seen a man with an
artificial ear? Yet such there are among
us.
my experience leads me to believe that
the ear is the most unusual feature to be
missing, from accident or otherwise The
firm with which l was formerly employ
ed, and where | mastered my curious art
or trade have manufactured at least hun
dreds of artificial limbs, and even made
four or five pairs of false lips, but, to my
knowledge they only once made an arti-
ficial ear
1.-The ear in question was required by a
gentleman who had in a shooting acct
dent some time before, had the misfor-
tune to lose the lower portion of what
Charles Lamb calls the 'volute' of the
human capital After the necessary OPP
peration he was for some time thus strik-
..rf+h no
of hiding It. 1t was only when l sug-
gested to him that he should try to get
an imitation lower half fitted that he
gave any such thought to the matter
ut was thus that the firm came to be
commissioned 10 manufacture for the gen.
tleman an artificial ear. or rather the
lower half OF one. The mode OF procedure
in the case was as follows: The subject
to be operated upon having been placed
In an easy position and required to keep
perfectly still, a plaster cast chat Is.
model in plaster of paris) was taken Of the
remaining portion OF the right ear and
also one of the perfect left ear. The cast
took about half an hour to make. BY a
special process the cast was removed from
the ear without the necessity of chipping
generally resorted to in taking off such
casts.
Making the Ear.
Into the pld5ltI Cast uiOQcl HlOilcn
was poured and allowed sufficient time TO
set thoroughly Then it was taken out.
and from this wax model, with the mode.
also of the left eur before me, / proceed
ed to construct the real model of the miss
ing part exactly to correspond in size
and appearance with the remaining por-
ton, so as to make a right ear as per-
feet as possible. This model. which the
gentleman is, doubtless. still wearing was
made from a special secret composition
of metallic nature which Is extraordi-
narily light and pliable. Colored and.
enameled to represent human flesh 1t
makes a very successful imitation OF
the real thing.
THE fitting of the false to the real
portion OF the ear is effected by special
devices which maintain the former firmly
ir its place, and only the most minute
examination could possibly disclose the
art employed.
"Of noses there are several imitation
ones doing duty on faces that we meet on
our daily rounds through the streets.
Many have been injured or destroyed from