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The earliest example of a prosthesis ever discovered was a big toe, belonging to a noblewoman, which was found in Egypt and dated between 950-710 B.C.E. Worn nearly 3,000 years ago, this toe is a representation of the history of prosthetics being as much about function as identity.
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General Marcus Sergius is considered the first documented wearer of a prosthetic limb. In the second Punic War, Sergius lost his right hand and was given a prosthesis, fashioned from iron, that enabled him to hold his shield and continue fighting.
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In 1508, Gotz Von Berlichingen made the first pair of advanced iron hands after he lost his right arm in the Battle of Landshut.
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Ambroise Paré introduced modern amputation procedures (1529) to the medical community and made prostheses (1536) for upper and lower-extremity amputees. He made significant advances in both amputation surgery and the development of prosthetic limbs.
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In 1696, Pieter Verduyn developed the first non-locking below-knee (BK) prosthesis, which would later become the blueprint for current joint and corset devices.
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In 1800, a Londoner, James Potts, designed a prosthesis made of a wooden shank and socket, a steel knee joint and an articulated foot. It would become known as the “Anglesey Leg” after the Marquess of Anglesey, who lost his leg in the Battle of Waterloo and wore the leg.
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Sir James Syme discovered a new method of ankle amputation that did not involve amputating at the thigh. This was welcome among the amputee community because it meant that there was a possibility of walking again with a foot prosthesis versus a leg prosthesis.
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In 1846, Benjamin Palmer saw no reason for leg amputees to have unsightly gaps between various components and improved upon the Selpho leg by adding an anterior spring, smooth appearance, and concealed tendons to simulate natural-looking movement.
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Douglas Bly invented and patented the Doctor Bly’s anatomical leg in 1858, which he referred to as “the most complete and successful invention ever attained in artificial limbs.”
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In 1863, Dubois Parmlee invented an advanced prosthesis with a suction socket, polycentric knee and multi-articulated foot.
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The increasing number of amputees after WW1 led to the first major development in prosthetic legs, the introduction of a light copper-aluminium alloy. Until this point many amputees were still using wood and leather peg leg prosthetics.
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For the first time artificial legs with bending knee joints were widely distributed to amputees. The 'knee' would often need to be locked in place when stood upright and then released with the press of a switch in order to bend it when sitting down.
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This limb saw the introduction of a 'smart' knee joint that would only lock when there was pressure from the 'heel' hitting the ground, it would then bend when there was pressure on the 'toes' creating the feel of a natural walk.
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The first pair, pictured here, was designed for a two year old girl and were made from asbestos. These short limbs are now used as a first-step prosthetic for above knee amputees.
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Thousands of children were being born with stunted limbs. These fixed one piece aluminium legs attached to the hips using pelvic bands. These legs were designed to give maximum stability when walking through the use of an artificial shoe.
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In Cambodia many children were stepping on old landmines left over from the pre-1979 . This saw the widespread use of small, lightweight plastic limbs in the country for the first time.
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Otto Bock Health Care introduce the microprocessor controlled knee shin system C-Leg to the United States. Often described as a "quantum leap" in prosthetics the C-Leg remains one of the most desired artificial legs to this day.
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As the world's first bionic foot, artificial intelligence takes the place of the human nervous system, constantly making judgements about the movement needed adjusting to different ground surfaces and changes in activity.
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The world's first bionic knee is motor-powered and its artificial intelligence closely simulates human muscle activity, allowing the wearer to almost seamlessly adjust to differing gradients when climbing stairs.
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The Modular Prosthetic Limb from Johns Hopkins University promises to deliver "humanlike" strength, thought-controlled dexterity and sensation. It's currently in the research phase, and Icelandic company Ossur is conducting preclinical trials on mind-controlled leg and foot prostheses.
