Prosthetics Research Paper

Prosthetics (pronounced prahs-THEH-tiks) is the branch of medicine that deals with the artificial replacement of a missing body part. A prosthesis (pronounced prahs-THEE-sis) is the general term for the artificial part itself that replaces the body part usually lost to disease or injury. Prosthetics has a long history, and recent design advances that use battery power and new lightweight composite materials are making prostheses better and easier to use.

History

Although nothing can ever fully replace any part of our bodies, most people who have suffered the loss of a body part or who were born missing something that everyone else has and needs—like a foot or a hand—would agree that something is usually better than nothing. People have used all sorts of artificial devices probably from the beginnings of human history to help them compensate for the loss of a limb. Thus in very ancient times, the first and simplest prosthesis may have been a forked tree limb that was used as a crutch to help someone walk whose leg may have been badly damaged or lost in an accident or to a disease.

, from which time we have evidence of crude devices being made to replace a missing lower leg. These consisted of metal plates being hammered over a wooden core, which was then strapped to the stump of the remaining leg. These very early prostheses were usually made by blacksmiths, armor