THE USES OF WOOD 



811 



duce something 

 that will take 

 the place of na- 

 ture's handiwork 

 generally. The 

 bones, flesh, ten- 

 dons and carti- 

 leges, and par- 

 ticularly the 

 nerves, of the 

 natural limb do 

 specialized work 

 which the best 

 substitutes can 

 seldom equal. 



The best kinds 

 of artificial arms 

 weigh from one 

 to two and a 

 half pounds ; 

 legs from four 

 to seven pounds. 

 The lightest are 

 for small per- 

 sons. In a few 

 instances legs 

 are manufactur- 

 ed for children 

 less than two 

 years old, and 

 for persons 

 eighty or more. When limbs are fitted on a person who 

 is growing rapidly, frequent changes are necessary. 



The cost of limbs varies so widely that it is impossible 

 to name an average; but the 

 prices quoted in the catalogue of 

 a well known manufacturer of 

 these articles range downward 

 from $150. The size of the 

 artificial limb does not govern 

 the price so much as it is gov- 

 erned by the kind of workman- 

 ship employed in its manufac- 

 ture and by the patented devices 

 used. The rough material is not 

 expensive. A few pounds of 

 wood, a little leather, rubber, 

 steel, and shellac constitute the 

 materials, but the labor that 

 forms and fits them is expensive 

 and is responsible for the prin- 

 cipal items of cost. 



Different manufacturers ad- 

 vertise special features of their 

 product and claim high value for 

 certain devices. Competition is 

 keen, and the unfortunate per- 

 son in need of a limb has many 

 offers from which to choose ; but 



THE ALPHA AND OMEGA OF 

 SUBSTITUTES 



The prehistoric pegleg and its latest rival. 

 The old is much better than nothing, but it 

 is distanced in appearance, convenience and 

 efficiency by the articulated member made 

 of willow wood, metal and rawhide. The 

 illustration is from the catalogue of the 

 True Artificial Limb Company, Niagara 

 Falls. New York. 



THREE STYLES OF WOODEN LEGS 



That on the left is a limb not extending above the knee; 

 the next has the knee bearings, and the next is the 

 artificial limb extending above the knee. Each is pro- 

 vided with its own peculiar and necessary mechanism 

 and fittings to' conform to differences in pattern. Photo- 

 graph by courtesy of True Company. 



there is not much difference in the range of prices for 

 similar articles. 



The cheapest and crudest artificial leg is the wooden 

 peg which is strapped in place and can be made by any 

 carpenter or turner for a few dollars. This is the' 

 historical peg that figures in chronicles, romances, and 



poetry. The 

 comic supple- 

 ment artists who 

 illustrate Sunday 

 papers equip the 

 pirates and ho- 

 boes with legs 

 of that kind. 

 The Dutch gov- 

 ernor of New 

 York, as Wash- 

 ington Irving 

 described him, 

 was better 

 known by his 

 peg leg than by 

 any other pos- 

 session or attrib- 

 ute; and a stan- 

 za in Hood's 

 "Faithless Nelly 

 Gray" is some- 

 times selected by 

 authors of 

 school grammars 

 to test the pupil's proficiency in parsing ambiguous 



syntax . "The army surgeon made him limbs ; 



Said he, 'They 're only pegs, 



But there 's as wooden members quite 

 As represent my legs.' " 



The peg is practically inde- 

 structible. It has no springs to 

 snap or joints to rattle, and time, 

 wear, and tear make little im- 

 pression on it. 



There is no hand-made arm 

 quite as simple and substantial 

 as the pegleg ; but there is a peg 

 arm also, and it is equipped with 

 a hook in place of a hand. A 

 character in Dickens' "Dombey 

 and Son" wore one. That was 

 the old, cheap makeshift; but 

 modern inventors have produced 

 one with the hook equipment, 

 and it is by no means a cheap 

 makeshift. Among the high- 

 class manufactures in this line 

 is an arm equipped with two 

 hooks operated by springs and 

 bands, the forms and movements 

 apparently having been suggest- 

 ed by the mandibles of a stag 



