Introduction
Prosthetics is the branch of surgery dealing with mechanical devices used to reproduce the form and function of missing body parts. Prosthetics is the replacement of faulty or amputated body parts with artificial body parts. Artificial limbs have been in use since at least 300 BC. In AD 1509 German knight, Götz von Berlichingen, called Götz of the Iron Hand, wore an artificial hand with jointed fingers. Early in the 19th century a German prosthesist built a hand with fingers that could be flexed or extended and that could hold light objects, such as a pen or a hat. Before World War I (1914-1918), wood was considered the best substance for making artificial legs, but later an aluminum alloy called Duraluminum, and more recently fiber materials, have made artificial limbs both lightweight and strong. In recent years, the manufacture of prosthetic devices has developed into a science. Artificial limbs with functioning joints can simulate natural motion. Hip joint prostheses can provide virtually normal mobility for people with damaged hip joints.
History
Artificial limbs, in one form or other, have been in use from ancient times. In 1885, a specimen was discovered in a tomb at Capua, Italy, along with other relics dating from 300BC. The celebrated artificial hand built in 1509 for the German knight Gotz von Berlichingen, who was called Gotz of the Iron Hand, weighed about 1.4 kg (3 lb.) and had articulated fingers so constructed as to be able to grasp a sword or lance. The hand is in the Nürnberg Museum and is still in working order. Early in the 19th century a German prosthesist built a hand with fingers that could be flexed or extended without assistance and yet could still close to hold light objects, such as a pen, a handkerchief, or a hat. In 1851, a French prosthesist invented an artificial arm fitted with a wooden hand and attached to a leather socket that fitted the stump firmly. The fingers were half-closed, the thumb pivoted on a pin and could press firmly against the fingertips by a concealed, strong rubber band; the grasp of the thumb could be operated by a mechanism attached to the opposite shoulder. The same inventor devised a leg that reproduced a natural gait and lengthened the stride.
Technology
Before World War I, wood was universally considered the best substance for making artificial legs. Prosthetic devices made of leather reinforced with metal bands tended to lose their shape and were therefore unsatisfactory.
Organisms are limited by the structure of their bodies. Some creatures are capable to do great things because of the number of limbs they have, or the density of their skin. Humans in particular are extremely reliant in the capabilities that our bodies bring to us. Our bodies however, are not all dependable, as we can injure ourselves, and even lose parts of our body. To combat this loss of body, the great minds of our species have created false limbs to replace what we have lost. This great improvement to our lives is known as, the prosthetic. In recent years this technology has expanded into a new form, that combines prosthetics and robotics to make life for people
One guy named Fox takes care of injured birds. One bird in particular called a sand crane would regularly injure its frail legs. Without their legs cranes cannot survive. Fox finally decided he put down enough cranes, and he started working on a prosthetic leg for the crane. The first crane to receive a plastic leg walked around as if it were her real leg (Anthes 137). The crane went from on the verge of dying to walking around naturally with a prosthetic. The crane now can live a longer healthy life, rather than dying well before its life expectancy. Cranes sometimes scratch themselves with the plastic leg as they would with their real legs. Prosthetics possess a wide range of capabilities that have the ability to help several different animals from dolphins to small fragile
The are generally four kinds of substitute constituent utilized in THA that are metal-on-metal, metal-on-plastic, and ceramic on ceramic, ceramic on plastic. Types prosthesis utilized is reliant on the needs of patient and the procedure of the surgeon. All hip replacements allocate one thing in common: they contain a ball-and-socket joint. Which materials are utilized in the ball and in the socket, that jointly is shouted the “bearing” like a bearing in a car has the possible to alter the long-term durability of the combined replacement.
I picked an article on the prosthetic limbs, which are controlled by your own thought. The unique part of this prosthetic is that It has 26 joints, is controlled by the person’s own mind and has the power to curl up to a incredible 45 pounds. Imagine being able to control a prosthetic just by thinking about the next move. The limb has been described as Modular, which gives them the power to accommodate anyone in particular that has either the hand missing to the whole entire arm. It can be also used as a surrogate arm for those who have suffered a stroke and lost movement of their own arm. This just an incredible part of science that getting develop and study by John Hopkins University.
The idea of having an amputated limb and being able to receive a prosthetic limb within a few short hours is still a dream in today’s world. Scientists and researchers have made huge leaps and bounds in recent years, but prosthetic limbs have been around for decades. The oldest ever found was in Cairo, Egypt in the year 2000. It was a prosthetic toe made of leather and wood from 3000 years ago (Clements, 2008). This limb showed us that for the most part prosthetics have not changed a whole lot, but how they are made has improved. Prosthetic limbs can now be designed by using CAD/CAM, computer aided design and manufacturing. They can speed up the process it takes to make the limbs for patients. Clinical use of this process is still slow to get going in a lot of states and the world. The most important part of the prosthetic limb to the patient is not whether the limbs functionality is better, but the comfort of the socket. The socket is where the residual limb will reside in the actual prosthetic limb. When the handmade casts are used, it is hard to make a socket that will work well for the patient because it is hard to make an exact replica of the limb. That is why more funding needs to go to places that will teach people how to use the CAD/CAM design process and to help companies buy the expensive fabrication sites to actually make the limbs. Not only is the use of CAD/CAM a better process, but it is faster and will get the patients a better fitting limb that they will want to use more often.
Prosthetic care goes back to the fifth Egyptian Dynasty. The basics of prosthetics started out with crutches. They were made of wood and leather for more comfort. A wooden toe was a big deal because it helps balance and perform a function to help you walk. Next peg legs and hooks were used. Fibers were used to have a sense of wholeness but weren’t functional. By the second or third peg legs cooper and wood were used. Later on iron was used but was inconvenient because of how much it weighed. Inventions have been worked on and expanded for example, the fixed position foot. Other inventions have become obsolete over the years like the use of iron, hand hooks, and peg legs ("The History of Prosthetics).
, 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
There wasn’t much progress for centuries till World War I. Many soldiers were coming back home with severe injuries on their bodies. Since there were more and more people in need of these surgeries, reconstructive surgery started to develop even further. They came up with new techniques such as trying to rebuild entire limbs, ...
The materials in prosthetic limbs have always evolved along side technology, usually changing for the better. Prior to the development of electronics and plastics,
Gotz Von Berlichingen was a knight who lost his right arm from a cannon blast in 1505. At the young age of 24, and as a man who made a living off of war, Gotz needed his right arm. This mercenary is the very first person known to have a prosthetic one. Prosthesis is a device, either external or implanted that substitutes for a missing or defective body part. The prosthetic arm that Gotz used was made of iron and complete with articulated fingers which were spring action and an array of levers and buttons. It allowed Gotz to hold a quill, play cards, direct his horse, and grip a lance. Gotz and his arm made of iron went on to great infamy. He was outlawed by the Holy Roman Emperor and even lead a peasant revolt. Gotz preferred his new arm saying it had “rendered more service in the fight than ever did the original flesh”. This just shows how prosthetics can change the lives of many. The arm was a mechanical masterpiece centuries ahead of its time and it laid the foundation for modern prosthetics.1
The modern total hip replacement was invented in 1962 by Sir John Charnley. Sir Charnley was an orthopedic surgeon who worked for a small hospital in England. The total hip replacement is considered by many to be the most important operation developed in the 20th century, solely based on the fact that it helps to relieve human suffering. Total hip replacement was first performed in the United States around 1969. Since then there have been more then a hundred of thousands of replacements performed in the United States. One of the first surgeons to perform this surgery was Charles O. Bechtol. In 1969, while he was a professor at UCLA, Bechtol started a total hip replacement program. The artificial hip joint is considered a prosthesis. There are two major types of artificial hip joints, cemented prosthesis and uncemented prosthesis. The type of prosthesis that will be used on the individual patient is decided by the surgeon depending on the patient's age, lifestyle and the experience that the surgeon has with a particular one.
An amputation is classified as a surgical operation involving the removal of at least one limb of a person’s body (Amputation, 2017, p. 1). Although the first ever recorded amputation happened thousands of years ago; practice, detrimental adjustments and the advancement of medicine has successfully made amputations more safe, common and effective in hospitals around the world. From wooden legs to bionic arms, prosthetic limbs have been improving rapidly for centuries. Biomedically engineered prosthetic limbs have come especially far, connecting wires to nerves and muscles that allow an artificial limb to move in ways only an ordinary limb has ever been able to move, making them the best option for most amputees.
The most common use of biomechanics is in the development of prosthetic limbs used for the handicapped. Most work on prosthetics is done in laboratories where scientists use calibrated machines to test stress and wear of artificial limbs. These days, prosthetics, are made of titanium and lightweight fiberglass to make a near perfect match with most people. The most common prosthesis is the replacement in a below the knee amputation. The American Society of Biomechanics (ASB) held a meeting at Clemson University of 1997 in order to develop a sports prosthesis that would stand up to every day flexing of the knee for performance in sports.
Many great inventions have been made through research in biomedical engineering, for example, genetic engineering, cloning, and insulin. After insulin has been invented, there are still a lot of problems with the purity and the quantity of the insulin produced. Biomedical engineering devised a way to produce large quantities of insulin with a higher level of purity, which has saved a lot of human lives. Although biomedical engineering just been officially founded 200 years ago, its practice has been with us for centuries. According to The Whitaker Foundation website, 3,000-year-old mummy from Thebes, which uncovered by German archeologists, with a wooden prosthetic tied to its foot to serve as a big toe is the oldest known limb prosthesis and Egyptian listen to the internal of human anatomy using a hollow reed, which is what today’s stethoscope. No matter what the date, biomedical engineering has provided advances in medical technology to improve human health. These advances by biomedical engineering have created a significant impact to our lives. I have determined to become a biomedical engineer. Biomedical engineering will have a good prospect because it will become one of the most important careers in the future.
Prosthetic limbs, one of the examples of physical enhancement, have improved to such an extent that the capabilities and...