Prosthesis Through the Ages Losing a limb is absolutely devastating. First you have to go through the pain of losing it, then you have to get used to life without the limb. A prosthesis, or artificial limb, will help you resume everyday activities. We can all agree that technology has improved greatly throughout the years. Thankfully, prosthetic limbs have also progressed with the technology of the time providing more comfort and functionality. Prosthetic limbs are artificial replacements for a lost, deformed, or amputated limb. These limbs will come in four general types; transradial, transhumeral, transfemoral, transtibial. Transradial limbs are for your lower arm, transhumeral for your upper arm, transtibial for the lower leg, and transfemoral
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The main reason for getting an artificial limb is amputation. As of 2008, there are more than two million amputees. There are one hundred eighty-five thousand amputations a year and there are a variety of reasons for needing an amputation. The most common reason is disease or other illness. Peripheral Vascular Disease is the most common taker of limbs, the others being various types of cancer and diabetes. Diseases aren’t the only reason for amputations though. War, birth defects, and different accidents will need amputations (Zhang 29). The science of making and using prosthetics falls under the category of biomechatronics. Biomechatronics is the science/art of fusing mechanical devices to the human body. Artificial limbs are just part of it. Other topics under biomechatronics are artificial organs, bionics, and different ideas of giving mechanical aspects to living beings (McGimpsey 3). The most famous prosthetic limb is the peg leg on pirates, but the science behind it has been around a lot …show more content…
Ambroise Paré, a French Army barber and surgeon, made a kneeling peg leg and foot that had a fixed position, adjusting harness, knee lock control and other engineering ideas that are still being used today. His prosthetics were made of leather, paper, and glue. Before that in 1529, Ambroise also introduced the modern amputation process and procedure (Norton).
The next big jump in technology use for artificial limbs came during the American Civil War (1861 to 1865). Because of the war, more and more amputations occurred and the need for artificial limbs rose. The biggest thought of the time was to make the limbs from aluminum instead of steel or iron. Other ideas were suction sockets, multi articulated feet, and polycentric knees (Norton). That brings us to the start of the 21st century where technology is taking another huge step.
The 21st century has given us a lot of changes in technology and the current wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have given us yet another need for artificial limbs. The prosthetic limbs we have today are far more advanced than anything we have ever had in the past. We have computer controlled knees, bionic limbs, and bio limbs. Old ideas are still used today as well, such as multi articulated feet and polycentric knees, but they have been innovated to become more functional and comfortable (Zhang
The main reason for getting an artificial limb is amputation. As of 2008, there are more than two million amputees. There are one hundred eighty-five thousand amputations a year and there are a variety of reasons for needing an amputation. The most common reason is disease or other illness. Peripheral Vascular Disease is the most common taker of limbs, the others being various types of cancer and diabetes. Diseases aren’t the only reason for amputations though. War, birth defects, and different accidents will need amputations (Zhang 29). The science of making and using prosthetics falls under the category of biomechatronics. Biomechatronics is the science/art of fusing mechanical devices to the human body. Artificial limbs are just part of it. Other topics under biomechatronics are artificial organs, bionics, and different ideas of giving mechanical aspects to living beings (McGimpsey 3). The most famous prosthetic limb is the peg leg on pirates, but the science behind it has been around a lot …show more content…
Ambroise Paré, a French Army barber and surgeon, made a kneeling peg leg and foot that had a fixed position, adjusting harness, knee lock control and other engineering ideas that are still being used today. His prosthetics were made of leather, paper, and glue. Before that in 1529, Ambroise also introduced the modern amputation process and procedure (Norton).
The next big jump in technology use for artificial limbs came during the American Civil War (1861 to 1865). Because of the war, more and more amputations occurred and the need for artificial limbs rose. The biggest thought of the time was to make the limbs from aluminum instead of steel or iron. Other ideas were suction sockets, multi articulated feet, and polycentric knees (Norton). That brings us to the start of the 21st century where technology is taking another huge step.
The 21st century has given us a lot of changes in technology and the current wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have given us yet another need for artificial limbs. The prosthetic limbs we have today are far more advanced than anything we have ever had in the past. We have computer controlled knees, bionic limbs, and bio limbs. Old ideas are still used today as well, such as multi articulated feet and polycentric knees, but they have been innovated to become more functional and comfortable (Zhang