Prosthetics in antiquity
It remains a mystery where and when the first prosthesis was made, yet, the first mention of a prosthetic limb comes from the Rigveda, an ancient sacred Indian text written sometime between 1500 and 1000 BCE. In it, lies the reference to Vishpala, a woman warrior who after losing her leg in a battle, was given a “leg of iron”.
Although the use of prosthetic limbs probably dates back to the early days of homo sapiens, the first tangible evidence of a prosthetic body part comes from the foot of an Egyptian mummy that dates from somewhere between 950 B.C. and 710 B.C., which featured an artificial toe. The wood and leather fake toe is currently housed at the Egyptian Museum in Cairo and is proof of the existence of prosthetics since antiquity.
Replacement body parts are also mentioned in classical literature. After the mythical Greek hero Pelops, a grandson of Zeus, was ingested by the Gods at a banquet, his body was reassembled and brought back to life but a shoulder was missing and so, he was given a shoulder made of ivory created by Hephaestus, the Greek god of craftsmanship.
Herodotus aka “The Father of History” who lived between 484 and 425 BCE wrote the story of Hegesistratus, a diviner during the Greco-Persian Wars captured by Spartans that sawed off his leg in an attempt to escape his shackles and later replaced it with a wooden leg.
Prosthetics have even helped in the creation of empires. Marcus Sergius, a Roman general during the Second Punic War (218 to 201 BCE) lost his right hand in battle and had a metal hand constructed to allow him to hold his shield in battle. He’s the first documented amputee in history to have a prosthetic hand. Marcus Sergius played a vital role in the territorial disputes between the Roman Republic and Carthage, which eventually led to the foundation of the Roman Empire.
Also in the New World, prosthetics played a role in myth and culture. Tezcatlipoca, a central deity in Aztec religion, is depicted using an obsidian prosthetic leg after losing his right leg during a legendary battle with the “Earth Monster”. And then we have François Le Clerc, aka “Peg Leg” who suffer the loss of a leg while fighting the English in 1549 and is credited as the first pirate in the modern era to have a peg leg which may have inspired the image of the pirate in popular culture, from Long John Silver in Robert Louis Stevenson’s “Treasure Island” to Captain Barbossa in “Pirates of the Caribbean”.
The evolution of prosthetics
In the early sixteenth century, doctor Ambroise Paré (c. 1510 – 1590) made significant advances in amputation surgery and the development of prosthetic limbs. These advancements allowed doctors to shape the residual limb in such a way that made them more receptive to the attachment of a prosthesis. The prosthetic limbs weren’t much better, but life was becoming significantly more comfortable for those wearing them.
In 1861, 18-year-old engineering student James Edward Hanger joined his brothers as a soldier during the early days of the American Civil War. On June 3, less than two days after enlisting, a cannonball tore through his leg early in the Battle of Philippi. This loss of a limb is said to have been the first of the Civil War which saw more than 50,000 additional amputations. Dissatisfied with both the fit and the function of the standard-issue wooden peg the Confederate army provided, Hanger developed his own walkable prosthesis and went on to found a prosthetic company that continues in business today.
In 1898, Dr. Giuliano Vanghetti, following the work of Dr. Peter Bailiff, developed an artificial limb that could move through the muscle contraction of the remaining limb. This development paved the way for current neuroprosthetic approaches and modern bionic limbs.
In 1946, researchers at UC Berkeley developed the suction sock for lower-limb amputees. Similar attachment technology is still in use today.
In 1968, Ram Chandra Sharma and orthopedic surgeon P. K. Sethi designed and developed the Jaipur leg, a rubber-based prosthetic leg that besides being inferior in many ways to the alternatives of the time, its variable applicability and affordability made it suitable for low-income countries. The prosthetic leg has rehabilitated over 1.5 million amputees.
In 1976, Ysidro M. Martinez took a more mechanical approach to prosthetic leg design rather than trying to replicate the natural movement of organic limbs. The result was a more controllable and comfortable prosthesis.
Prosthetics in the last 50 years
In the 1980s, inventor and amputee Van Phillips developed the first running blade. Van Phillips came up with the disruptive idea by observing cheetahs’ and kangaroos’ legs instead of the traditional approach of replicating human anatomy. The blade’s curve creates a spring that stores the runner’s energy as they step down then releases it, propelling them forwards, allowing runners to reach much higher speeds than traditional prosthetics.
In the 90s and 00’s the rapid technological growth in the fields of computing, composite materials and robotics sparked the development of data-driven bionic prosthetics that mimic and even excel in the function of real human limbs, greatly improving comfort and even reestablishing tactility.
In the 2010s the field of prosthetics began merging with neuroscience to create computer-brain interfaces that control prosthetic limbs and provide users with higher degrees of tactile feedback, coming closer and closer to having a device that seamlessly integrates with the human body.
At the 2011 World Championships in Athletics, Oscar Pistorius was the first amputee to win a non-disabled world track medal. At the 2012 Summer Olympic Games, Pistorius became the first amputee runner to compete at the Olympics. His accomplishments sparked the controversy of whether prostheses give an advantage over non-amputees.
From Nyctalope to Alita and Darth Vader, beings with biomechatronic prostheses, also known as cyborgs have become a staple in sci-fi stories. But cyborgs are not just science fiction. Biomechatronic prostheses are becoming ever more common and in 2016, in the first Cybathlon, teams of people with disabilities used technological developments to turn themselves into cyborg athletes and compete against each other. making history by being part of the first worldwide and official celebration of cyborg sports.
In 2020 Levitate was founded with the mission of providing affordable and accessible running blades for amputees. Giving more people the possibility of regaining an active lifestyle.
The history of prosthetics is far from over and the future looks better than ever for those who need them. If you’re interested in finding out more about prosthetics and how they work, make sure to check out The Levitate Boot Camp