McKay artifcial left arm, United Kingdom, 1924-1930

A McKay heavy worker's arm for a left above elbow amputation A McKay heavy worker's arm for a left above elbow amputation

Creative Commons LicenseThis image is released under a CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 Licence

Buy this image as a print 

Buy

License this image for commercial use at Science and Society Picture Library

License

Creative Commons LicenseThis image is released under a CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 Licence

Buy this image as a print 

Buy

License this image for commercial use at Science and Society Picture Library

License

A McKay heavy worker's arm for a left above elbow amputation
Science Museum Group
© The Board of Trustees of the Science Museum

A McKay heavy worker's arm for a left above elbow amputation
Science Museum Group Collection
© The Board of Trustees of the Science Museum

A McKay heavy worker's arm for a left above elbow amputation. Blocked leather socket supplied with heavy-duty webbing appendage straps. Short forearm stem (for mechanical advantage when lifting). Splined terminal fitment, necessary for heavy duty tools. A long plain hook is attached. The elbow lock (which may be engaged in one of 7 positions) is manually operated by means of a small lever set on the medial side of the forearm, just below the joint. The forearm release lever is set on the lateral side of the stem. Made by McKay c.1924-30.

This artificial left arm was made for use in heavy duty work. It was designed for an above-the-elbow amputee and is seen here with a long plain hook attachment, which could be replaced with other tools or with the aluminium forearm shown alongside it. The hand is made of light-weight certalmid. This combination of certus glue, muslin and celluloid was devised for making upper and lower limb sockets during World War I and was used for many years afterwards. Made by Mckay, c.1924-1930

Details

Category:
Orthopaedics
Object Number:
1999-540
Materials:
metal, leather and plastic
Measurements:
overall: 130 mm x 690 mm x 182 mm,
type:
artificial arm
credit:
Richmond Twickenham and Roehampton Healthcare NHS Trust