Prosthesis for a left leg amputated above the knee; made of wood and covered in painted rawhide; single-axis knee joint secured by metal bolts and repaired with leather patch and two crossed metal bars; unarticulated wooden foot with black leather edging; socket is lined at top back with black leat…
Prosthesis for a left leg amputated above the knee; made of wood and covered in painted rawhide; single-axis knee joint secured by metal bolts and repaired with leather patch and two crossed metal bars; unarticulated wooden foot with black leather edging; socket is lined at top back with black leather; leg is secured to the wearer by a heavily-taped leather pelvic belt with a single-axis hip joint.
Number Of Parts
1
Provenance
Owned by Ernest Hanna; donated to museum by granddaughter Tanya Garofalo.
Dates
1923
circa 1923
Date Remarks
Donor's remarks
Material
wood: pink, grey
leather: brown, black
metal: grey, black
fabric: cream
Permanent Location
Storage Room 0007
0007-V1-3
Length
104.3 cm
Width
38.6 cm
Depth
22.0 cm
Unit Of Measure
centimeters
Dimension Notes
Length 104.3 cm x Width 38.6 cm x Depth 22.0 cm
Condition Remarks
Paint has chipped; exposed rawhide is discoloured; four pieces have fallen out of wooden foot; wooden foot rotates slightly around bolt where it attaches to leg; rawhide at ankle is peeling away; belt system at knee was removed after damage to back of leg and replaced with wooden bumpers attached to the bolts; knee was patched with leather and two crossed metal bars and no longer straightens fully; pelvic belt is very brittle and covered in electrical tape; one area of the belt is being held together by a cloth bandage which is discoloured; hip joint attaching belt to leg has been covered by a lady's nylon stocking
Copy Type
Original
Reference Types
Person
Internet
Other
Reference Comments
Tanya Garofalo; "Limb Prosthetics Today" originally printed in 'Artificial Limbs' 1963 vol. 7 no. 2 pp 1-42 via The O&P Virtual Library website; "Manual of Artificial Limbs" A.A. Marks, 1907 through the Medical Heritage Library online database; arrived wearing a rubber work boot (012011007 a-b) and a wool sock (012011006); four wood chips have detached from the foot and are included with no number.
Research Facts
Ernest Hanna was born in 1888 and lost his left leg following an accident on his farm in Lyn, Ontario at age 35. He continued to work on his farm with a prosthetic leg and cane for balance; used the same two prosthetic legs until his death in 1969. This was his "working" leg, which he wore while working on his farm.