The Evolution and Portrayal of Prosthetic Limbs During the Victorian Era

Although prosthetic limbs have existed since ancient times, the demand for them and, subsequently, the way in which they were designed and produced changed dramatically around the turn of the nineteenth century. I describe advancements in prostheses during the Victorian Era, and discuss ways in which wearers of artificial limbs were described in literature of the period (particularly by Charles Dickens). References Armfield, Julia. “Armed and Dangerous – Victorian Prosthetics (Part 2).” https://britishlibrary.typepad.co.uk/untoldlives/2013/10/armed-and-dangerous-victorian-prosthetics-part-2.html Armfield, Julia. “Without a Leg to Stand On – Victorian Prosthetics.” https://britishlibrary.typepad.co.uk/untoldlives/2013/10/without-a-leg-to-stand-on-victorian-prosthetics.html Dickens, Charles. Dombey & Son. http://www.online-literature.com/dickens/dombey/10/ Doctorow, Cory. “Victorian ‘rather sinister’ artificial arm and hand.” https://boingboing.net/2010/08/30/victorian-rather-sin.html Gavin, Adrienne E. “Dickens, Wegg, and Wooden Legs.” https://omf.ucsc.edu/london-1865/victorian-city/wooden-legs.html Hanger Clinic. “Prosthetics.” https://hangerclinic.com/prosthetics/ MacRae, Michael. “The Civil War and the Birth of the U.S Prosthetics Industry.” https://www.asme.org/topics-resources/content/the-civil-war-and-birth-of-us-prosthetics-industry Merriam-Webster. “Prosthesis.” https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/prosthesis Oatman-Stanford, Hunter. “War & Prosthetics: How Veterans Fought for the Perfect Artificial Limb.” https://www.collectorsweekly.com/articles/war-and-prosthetics/ Rinquist, Abraham. “10 Ancient Prosthetics.” https://listverse.com/2016/12/08/10-ancient-prosthetics/ “The Ballad of the Cork Leg.” https://cotyroneireland.com/poems/ballard-cork-leg.html Warne, Vanessa. “Artificial Leg.” https://www.jstor.org/stable/41220393 Wikipedia. “Catgut.” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catgut ***** Email: [email protected] Twitter: https://twitter.com/victorianvarie1 Buy Me a Coffee: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/marisadf13 I’d greatly appreciate it if you could take a moment to rate & review this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Goodpods, Spotify, Podchaser, or wherever you listen, as that will help this podcast reach more listeners!