History Question Replys

History Question Replys

Tom Masters

10/17/2011

Thank you to all who replied!
I had asked: It was easy to find a photo of the first known prosthesis.
Not so easy to find the first orthotic device. Could someone guide me to an
image and source document or museum holding the specimen?

The first known, or oldest found to date, prosthesis was in the news
recently:
<URL Redacted>

Of the replys received for the first orthosis, the one I like the best is
the first below. No doubt the reason it was not documented was because the
event preceded the pencil(stylus), which also started as a stick..
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
REPLYS:

I'd safely say it was a stick. That would be hard to document.;-)

Oldest prosthesis: I don't know if this is the oldest, but Albany (NY)
Institute of History and Art has an Egyptian mummy with a prosthetic toe.
Albany Medical Center did imaging of the mummy a few years back and
discovered the toe prosthesis!

Try here <URL Redacted> on the campus of
Walter Reed they have a really good display of Prosthetics from the early
years to modern day. I'm sure you could get it here or someone there could
direct you.

What is your earliest prosthesis dated?

Well a couple of years, we where looking for the same thing. We found some
from the Egyptians, they had a pictographs that something that could say was
a prosthetics device. You should looking there. And please if you find
something older tell us, and about the first orthotic, I don't know, but
please share with us the results

I don't think you can find one. Likely, the earliest orthotic devices were
vines/leaves/ropes made into an item to stabilize an injured joint long,
long ago. Archiologists, in the best conditions, are lucky to find pieces
of bone fragments, in the best of conditions.
The second generation likely was made of leather, such as a piece of leather
wrapped around an injured joint. This again, would decay. There also would
be nothing to show its use, as this would not be buried with a body in prime
conditons for limiting decay.

Sorry, the drawing were from the Orthopaedic Appliances Atlas 1952. The
additional are drawings from Hieronymus Fabricius ab Aquapendente, Opera
Chirurgica. Patavii: Bolzetti, 1641 by Angelus Carlescus Pordononens
inventor Patauy. From the same book.

Usually the picture of a man with a branch tied to his limb shows a simple
splint, and of course the external rigging is quite an old device. Good
luck.

I am no historian but I know that the term orthopaedic comes from ortho to
align or straighten and paedic meaning children. The original orthopedic
doctors treated kids with scoliosis thousands of years ago (3000-12000)
depending on where you look. I don't think anything remains from the early
devices but I could be wrong. The word however has stayed with us forever -
albeit misunderstood!

I very seriously doubt it exists anymore as your talking millenniums. Would
love to see the first prosthesis as recorded history of one only takes us
back around 3500BC.

The first recorded evidence of an orthosis comes from the old testament.
Jacob wrestled the Arch Angel Micheal, and ended up with drop foot. I
believe there are drawings which depict an orthosis on Jacob.

Which do you want.....the twigs that splint the first broken finger or the
tree bark strapped to the foot?

I remember seeing a wrapped univalve TLSO fabricated from papyrus bark in
a photo once a few years back. Seems to me it was associated with a find in
the Netherlands having to do with a frozen ancient body found frozen in a
glacier.

maybe this video from The History Channel has some reference on the
information you need: <URL Redacted>