Prosthetics

1. The branch of surgery or of dentistry that deals with the replacement of missing parts with artificial structures. Prosthetics By: Sarah Teague

2. Prosthetic History • Originated in the western civilizations of Egypt, Greece, and Rome. • The earliest known artificial limb was made around 500 B.C., when Herodotus wrote about a prisoner who escaped by cutting off his foot and replacing it with wood later. • Later in 300 B.C., a copper and wooden leg was used in Capri, Italy. • In 1529, Ambroise Pare, a French surgeon introduced amputation and later developed prosthetic limbs in a scientific manner.

3. The Evolution of Prosthetic Devices • 500 B.C.: Wooden foot • 300 B.C.: a copper and wooden leg was used in Capri, Italy. • 1696: Pieter Verduyn, a Dutch Surgeon, developed the first non-locking prosthesis for below the knee. • 1898: first artificial limb that could be moved by muscle contractions. • 1914-1918: During WW1, prosthetics were further enhanced through the use of telephones and phone directories.  • 2000: Prosthetics are made of plastic and fiberglass, and some are controlled by thoughts.

5. Mechanics of the Prosthetic Limb • Pylon: the internal frame or skeleton of the limb. It provides structural support and is more recently made of light carbon-fiber composites. They can be enclosed by foam material that can be shaped and colored to look like skin. • The socket is the part of the prosthetic device that interfaces with the person's limb stump or residual limb. • The suspension system: keeps the prosthetic limb attached to the body. It can come in different forms such as a harness system or a suction.

6. Modern Prosthetics • Myo-electric Limbs: A replacement device for lost limbs that uses the electromyographic activity of a contracting muscle as a control signal. • Electric prostheses use small electric motors to move the replaced limb. • Computerized Prosthetic Devices allow for greater mobility. http://www.ted.com/talks/dean_kamen_previews_a_new_prosthetic_arm.html

7. Citations • "How Prosthetic Limbs Work." How Stuff Works. How Stuff Works, 2012. Web. 12 Feb 2012. <http://science.howstuffworks.com/prosthetic-limb2.htm>. • . "The History of Prosthetics." . timetoast, 2011. Web. 12 Feb 2012. <http://www.timetoast.com/timelines/the-history-of-prosthetics-then-to-now>. • . "The History of Prosthetics." about.com Inventors. about.com, 2012. Web. 12 Feb 2012. http://inventors.about.com/library/inventors/blprosthetic.htm > • . "Modern Prosthetics." Prosthetics and Orthotics Hanger inc.. Hanger Inc., 2012. Web. 13 Feb 2012. <http://www.hanger.com/prosthetics/services/lowerextremity/Pages/LEComponentry.asp&xgt;