ARTIFICIAL LIMBS.

Pelorus Guardian and Miners' Advocate., Volume 30, Issue 19, 8 March 1918, Page 6

ARTIFICIAL LIMBS.

BLESSED MARVELS OF MECHANISM,

Few outcomes of the groat war i&ve been more wonderful than the stage of perfection that has been reached in the production of artificial limbs. The enormous numbers of men engaged in the war and the high percentage of the wounded who had to submit to the amputation of one or other of their limbs at once presented a problem to the authorities. The best brains of the day were applied to the task of improving the construction of artificial limbs, and the results, as demonstrated by thousands of our soldiers to-day, are little short of miraculous. A good illustration (states a Palmerston contemporary) is afforded in the case of a Palmerston soldier, Private L. G. Aimes, son Of Mr and Mrs G. H. Amies, of Main street East. Privates Amies was badly wounded in the leg about the same time as the late Dr. A. A. Martin was killed. His wound necessitated amputation close to the groin, and the soldier returned home a little more than a week ago with an artificial limb, and so perfect is the fitting, and so natural the movement, that it is difficult of detection. The stump of the leg fits neatly into a socket at the top of the artificial limb, whilst a steel waist belt and another back support keep it securely in position. The knee-joint is another mechanical wonder; it goes easily to the movements of the body, and on descending a stairway or a hill the joint can be locked, thus obviating any danger of an accident befalling the wearer. The artificial limb, moreover, does not prevent the soldier from cycling, the leg movements being as free and regular as the natural limb. Mechanical science has indeed bestowed a blessing on the maimed soldier.