A history on prosthetics: past and present
A part of me
Our bodies mean a lot to us, every part, every hair, and every drop of blood. Some of us take these things for granted, such as complaining about having hands or feet that aren’t proportionate to our bodies or being too short or too tall. Well what if we lost one of our disproportionate feet? Or maybe both? Our hands? A leg? People have been facing this problem for an extremely long time. Losing limbs in battles, accidents or just birth defects. This tale is nearly as old as time itself. Once these people lose a part of themselves they need to adequately function in life, they try to find a substitute. Sure their hand or leg may be gone, but their wits are not. Thus came about the creation of prosthetic limbs. (The following will be a timeline of each era and it’s advancements in prosthetic technologies).
Pioneers of the Egyptian desert plain
The first recorded account of prosthetic limbs is from the ancient days of Egypt. In the year 2000, researchers in Cairo had excavated a 3,000 year old mummy with an artificial toe. Contrary to popular belief, many thought the Egyptians had created prosthetics for a sense of wholeness rather than much of a functional purpose. Yes they were spiritual people whose concerns revolved around their gods, but also they were incredibly intelligent. These pioneers of many technologies wouldn’t have just created a limb for just a feeling of mere wholeness, but for functionality as well. They were industrious as they labored beneath the unforgiving desert sun.
Years 424 B.C.-1 B.C.
During the year 1858, an artificial leg was excavated from Capua, Italy. The leg was most likely from the year 300 B.C. It was customized for an amputee missing his appendage below the knee. During the year 424 B.C. Greek historian Herodotus wrote of a Persian man who was unfortunate enough to be condemned to death. The Persian seer had escaped by amputating his very own foot. After that he had to carve a wooden filler for himself and
Our bodies mean a lot to us, every part, every hair, and every drop of blood. Some of us take these things for granted, such as complaining about having hands or feet that aren’t proportionate to our bodies or being too short or too tall. Well what if we lost one of our disproportionate feet? Or maybe both? Our hands? A leg? People have been facing this problem for an extremely long time. Losing limbs in battles, accidents or just birth defects. This tale is nearly as old as time itself. Once these people lose a part of themselves they need to adequately function in life, they try to find a substitute. Sure their hand or leg may be gone, but their wits are not. Thus came about the creation of prosthetic limbs. (The following will be a timeline of each era and it’s advancements in prosthetic technologies).
Pioneers of the Egyptian desert plain
The first recorded account of prosthetic limbs is from the ancient days of Egypt. In the year 2000, researchers in Cairo had excavated a 3,000 year old mummy with an artificial toe. Contrary to popular belief, many thought the Egyptians had created prosthetics for a sense of wholeness rather than much of a functional purpose. Yes they were spiritual people whose concerns revolved around their gods, but also they were incredibly intelligent. These pioneers of many technologies wouldn’t have just created a limb for just a feeling of mere wholeness, but for functionality as well. They were industrious as they labored beneath the unforgiving desert sun.
Years 424 B.C.-1 B.C.
During the year 1858, an artificial leg was excavated from Capua, Italy. The leg was most likely from the year 300 B.C. It was customized for an amputee missing his appendage below the knee. During the year 424 B.C. Greek historian Herodotus wrote of a Persian man who was unfortunate enough to be condemned to death. The Persian seer had escaped by amputating his very own foot. After that he had to carve a wooden filler for himself and