Prosthetics By: Sarah Teague The branch of surgery or of dentistry that deals with the replacement of missing parts with artificial structures.

 Originated in the western civilizations of Egypt, Greece, and Rome.  The earliest known artificial limb was made around 500 B.C., when Herodotus wrote about a prisoner who escaped by cutting off his foot and replacing it with wood later.  Later in 300 B.C., a copper and wooden leg was used in Capri, Italy.  In 1529, Ambroise Pare, a French surgeon introduced amputation and later developed prosthetic limbs in a scientific manner.

 500 B.C.: Wooden foot  300 B.C.: a copper and wooden leg was used in Capri, Italy.  1696: Pieter Verduyn, a Dutch Surgeon, developed the first non-locking prosthesis for below the knee.  1898: first artificial limb that could be moved by muscle contractions.  : During WW1, prosthetics were further enhanced through the use of telephones and phone directories.  2000: Prosthetics are made of plastic and fiberglass, and some are controlled by thoughts.

 Pylon: the internal frame or skeleton of the limb. It provides structural support and is more recently made of light carbon-fiber composites. They can be enclosed by foam material that can be shaped and colored to look like skin.  The socket is the part of the prosthetic device that interfaces with the person's limb stump or residual limb.  The suspension system : keeps the prosthetic limb attached to the body. It can come in different forms such as a harness system or a suction.

 Myo-electric Limbs: A replacement device for lost limbs that uses the electromyographic activity of a contracting muscle as a control signal.  Electric prostheses use small electric motors to move the replaced limb.  Computerized Prosthetic Devices allow for greater mobility.

 "How Prosthetic Limbs Work." How Stuff Works. How Stuff Works, Web. 12 Feb . "The History of Prosthetics.". timetoast, Web. 12 Feb . "The History of Prosthetics." about.com Inventors. about.com, Web. 12 Feb > . "Modern Prosthetics." Prosthetics and Orthotics Hanger inc.. Hanger Inc., Web. 13 Feb < /Pages/LEComponentry.asp&xgt;