Unlike this week’s artefact, did you know that the earliest example of a prosthesis ever discovered was not a leg or arm? In fact, it was a big toe, belonging to a noblewoman in Egypt and dated to between 950-710 B.C.E. John Benjamin Weir’s prosthetic leg, as seen here, is not quite that unusual, but is an interesting local artefact that can be found in our museum exhibit on historical medicine in the area. 

Mr. Weir’s leg was shot in the knee when he was 13 years old and a year later he had to have it amputated. John arranged with a blacksmith to make the frame, while John padded it, carved the leg, and attached the leather strap himself.  Even with a hand-crafted wooden leg, it was said that he was able match the work of any man, and in a fight, he would swing the leg up and hit his opponent on the side of the head. To help hold the leg in place on the left, a leather strap was attached to the frame to pass over the right shoulder, and a rubber sole attached at the foot provided grip.