Specification of William Edward Newton : artificial arms.

  • William Edward Newton
Date:
1866
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Specification of William Edward Newton : artificial arms. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    JYewtons Improvements in the Construction of Artificial Arms. required. To this end a cord or strap a is firmly attached by one end to the leather or other case 5, which envelopes or forms a socket for the upper arm above the elbow. The other end of this cord a passes through a guide c on the outside of the artificial fore arm, and is provided with a hook d whereby it may be permanently attached to a pin, bar, or other equivalent device e 5 situated near the wrist. By raising up the fore arm / and hooking the cord a on to the wrist pin e, the fore arm f may be held up in the position shewn at Fig. 2 for any length of time without fatiguing the elbow joint. The next improvement relates to the means of opening and closing the fore¬ finger and thumb of the hand. These digits are jointed at their junction 10 with the hand as shewn at g, g\ Figures 1, 2, and 3, and are kept closed by the tension of a spring h, Fig. 3, placed inside the artificial hand ; this spring h is connected to a lever i, the end of which projects from the inside of the hand into an opening j at the wrist, so that a tension cord k may be hooked on to it. This tension cord k passes outside the fore and upper arm through 15 swivel or other guides Z, Fig. 1, which give it a certain amount of elasticity, and is secured by its other end to a ring k1 on the shoulder and back strap. The next improvement consists in the use of a double lifting cord m for raising the fore arm/; this cord m is secured by both its ends to the sides of the fore arm /, and passes up through swivel guides or straps m1 on each side 20 of the upper arm b ; by this arrangement a bow or loop is made in the lifting cord which passes through a ring or loop n at the end of the shoulder or back strap. It will therefore be evident that by putting a strain on the lifting cord m (by raising the stump of the amputated arm), the fore arm / will be lifted up. The guides Z and m1 through which the tension cords pass 25 are made moveable on their centres, to which end they are either formed of short leather straps as shewn in the Drawing, and which are sufficiently flexible for the purpose, or they maybe formed of wires or metal bars mounted on centre pins so that thoy can work thereon. The second, third, and fourth fingers are jointed to the hand, and are held 30 in place by a strong spring or springs placed inside the hand, but are capable of being moved on their centres (in order to open the hand) by means of cords o, Fig. 4, which are connected by one end to the back of the fingers, and by the other to the back or shoulder strap or to some convenient part of the artificial upper arm. 35 The thumb and first finger may be made to act in combination with the other fingers by means of a cord as already explained, so that the entire hand, or rather the fingers and thumb thereof, may be opened simultaneously so as to grasp and take up any object.