Artificial left arm, England, 1850-1910

Artificial left arm, leather and wood, fully articulated, probably English, 1850-1910

This wooden artificial arm has joints at the elbow, wrist, thumb and fingers. They can all be moved. The thumb is connected to a spring. It can be moved to grip things. The arm was attached at the shoulder using leather straps. It was made to measure. The hand is carved to look realistic with markings on the palm and fingernails.

Heavier wooden prostheses such as this were replaced by lighter, metal versions. This followed design improvements after the First World War. 41,000 British servicemen lost one or more limbs during the conflict.