ARTIFICIAL LIMBS.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XLIII, Issue 13899, 24 January 1916, Page 9

ARTIFICIAL LIMBS.

lU-11/ACIXG LEOIS AXD AK_>JS. COMFORT FOR WOLWDEiD •SOLDIERS. 'Wiit.'iig on November 20th lo a friend 111 A-libm-toii, from th..- \Veymouth (iMiylaud) iiosjntal ciunp. Corporal L. U. .Ma.sl 1 (late of the New Zealand L-aiiJK'„> Co-opt'iative Association), .ays: — I am enclosing a letter written to Miss Williams (late of Hawke's Ray), win. is work' no- with tlie W,ar Contingent Association. T think it i.s a. letter that would lie well lo be made public, as it would give great comfort to those who have friends or relations, who have lost limbs. Th, lette. is as follows: Dover Mouse. Roehair.pton, S.W. Dwir Miss Williams.— l should like you ti> cheer up any men you meet m tho hp.spitals who have lost legs and "ums,.as they realy have not lost many v the pleasures of life.* Tf you lose youi- Jejr above the kneo, you will never *><• ah'e to run again, probably, or be ibh' to go upstairs without a. W.ir leg. Rut one can walk or 1 ride perfectly. ! have only had my leg.. about three clays, and I can walk without a stick, and get on and otf the busies perfectly! In fact, I .always, travel 011 the top of i bus. If ;_ man loses his leg below the. knee joint, he has lost practically nothing, as he will be able to run", lump, ride, and do any mortal thing that he ha.s over done. 1 Avas talking to ;i man who. lias lost his leg below the Vnee and has boon wearing an artificial limb for some years; I can never tell whicli is his. sound leg and wliich liis ■11 tilieial 0110. lie did some tricks on th-.* horizontal bars the othoi*- day for ;uy amusement; swinging himself "right into the air, Jie landed on his artificial foot only, not bringing the sound one to tho ground at all, and lie told me it del not hurt him or make. Jiim feel m the least uncomfortable. Another man. who had his leg amputated, through the hip joint, ran 50 yards, but it was rather a labored performance, and it was very exceptional for a man 10 . InOible to run when he has lost hi.': knee. Of course, what a man can do on air artificial limb very largely depends on himself. v You wero also asking me about artificial arm* yesterday. There is a wonderful arm macfc by a man named Qirnes, iv America-, which they are fitting men with here. A man only needs about two .inches of stump from tho shoulder. to 'have' these arms fitted, and the arm is manipulated from' the shoulder. Carnes himself, who makes this arm. has, T know, only one arm, and I believe none, but of that I would not be quite certaiin. Rut his artificial band and arm are so good that he can '■make arms for other people, with it. With bus arm and hand a sixpennypiece can be picked up off the billiard tabic, and he can pull a single hair out of his h<*a.d with it. But. of course, these parlor tricks take practice. Carnes' ami was amputated near the shoulder. Rut then, aorain, if one has an elbow joint, the fitting of the hand is even more satisfactoi'y. . T met a fellow- -yesterday m a hospital m London whom T was able to cheer up, as he was .crippled for life, until he saw nie. sailim' alone on an avtirficinl limb. T was walking 011 grass, and hei could nol tell which leg was the wood--0 1 one, though, ,of course, he could sco 1 was a. little luynQ on one. Yours, sincerely. Ruptu't .W. Westmacott. P.S. — Every nian who comes to Roe-hampt-on 'House to be fitted with a limb doe* nob leave' until -thei committee has found him work.