Biomedical Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
FIGURE 10-5
Illustration showing
the mechanism for
an artificial hand
from Ambroise
Paré's
Les Oeuvres
(Collected Works)
published in 1575.
(Courtesy of National
Library of Medicine.)
More than 100 years later, in 1690 Dutch surgeon Pieter Verduyn developed the
first nonlocking below-the-knee prosthesis and a leather cuff for improved attachment to
the body. Many of the features of this design, like Pare's, are still common in modern
prostheses.
Such refinements were not available to the common man or to pirates who sometimes
relied on hooks and peg legs, as these could be made from materials available onboard
ship. However, a trained doctor to perform the amputation or to clean up the stump would
have been rare, and instead the ship's cook typically performed any required surgery,
generally with a poor success rate.
In 1800 James Potts designed the prosthesis shown in Figure 10-6. It consisted of a
wooden shank and socket, a steel knee joint, and an articulated foot that was controlled by
catgut tendons from the knee to the ankle. It became known as the Anglesey Leg, after the
Marquis of Anglesey, who had it developed after losing his leg in the Battle of Waterloo. A
full 40 years later, the leg was taken to the United States by William Selpho where it became
known as the “Selpho Leg.” This design was improved a few years later, in 1846, when
Benjamin Palmer added an anterior spring, smooth appearance, and concealed tendons to
simulate natural-looking movement. The design remained in common use until WWI.
With improvements in hygiene, the numbers of survivors of amputations increased,
and advances were made in prosthetic design, such as joint technology and suction-based
