The Bridgeport times and evening farmer., 1920-02-23
NEW INVENTION MAKING TOES DO
 WORK OF ARMS
Light Cigarettes, Comb Hair and Use Hammer and
 Nails.

Edinburgh, Feb. 23.-A simple, in genious machine, which enables men to use their feet as hands, promises to brighten the lives of those who, by the mischance of war have lost both their arms. The invention is the work of George Thompson, an Edinburgh gas filter, and it has every chance of being taken up by the British Ministry of Pensions.
 ''It is most usefuI,'' says MT. Ball. ey, the Ministry's expert on artificial limbs. The machine alho has won the approval of Sir Charles Render dine, director of the artificial limbs departme ent. Points strongly in it's favor are it's simplicity and it's cheap ness.
 "It is easy to construct and even if it is worked on ball bearings" MT. Bailey remarked, Git should cost not more than 20 pounds. If it proves to be all that it is claimed to be it will be supplied ito all who need it. The point of view of the Ministry is that too much cannot be done for the wars armless victims and the deepest interest is being taken in this new invention As MT. Bailey put it, 20 pounds is very little to pay if it pro vides an ar1nless man with the means
  the rest of his life. If it cost very much more that that, it would still be worth it. Fortunately, the num- Der of those who have had double amputations of the arms is small.
 This appliance, as MT. Bailey de- scribed, is easy to understand. First of all, there is an upright with knob which goes between the big and the second toe. The upright knob is fixed at right angles to 8 horizontal rod which is fixed to the leg of the table at which the operator sits The hor- izonta1 rod is connected with a verti- cal rod five times it's length on the cati-lever principle.
 The horizontal rod can be moved by the foot upward, downward or horizontally to right or left The up right rod has attached to it a metal arm which moves in response to the movement of the rod controlled by the foot. The vertical rod being five times the length of the horizontal rod on the principle of the lever, greatly increases the power of the 'arm'. To the arm can be fitted various clutches with which the operator can move or pick up at will articles on the table. With two arms at work he can do many surprising feats.
 An eyewitness of the demonstra- tion told me that the effect was all most uncanny. One arm first took up a cigarette and put it in the oper- ator's mouth and then took hold of and gripped a box of matches The other arm, operated of course, by the other foot and attached to the other | leg of the table on the far side, push | ed the match box open and took out 1 a match. This was a delicate opera ton, but it was successfully per formed. The match was then struck and the cigarette was lit. Again these metal arms that act like human limbs and almost seem t.s if endowed with intelligence took a knife and fork, cut up food and transferred it to the mouth.
 MT. Thompson, the inventor, who was the operator, also drank from a cup, turned the leave of books, pen cilled a design on sheet of paper and cut it out with scissors, worked a i typewriter, played a dulcimer and l wrote with an ordinary pen. He could write quickly, slowly, and, what is more important 1egibIy. He showed | too, that it was possible to use ham, mer and nails and to comb the hair with the machine. Moreover, he de l monStrated how an armless man us ing his appliance could actually wash himself.
 The machine has naturally, its limitations. It means training fol | those who use it and it involves sit ting at Q table and having an attend ant to place thereon all the articles needed for use.
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