Child's Thomas type metal leg extension bed-splint, from the Lord Mayor Treloar Orthopaedic Hospital, Alton, Hampshire, England, 1940-1960

Made from metal, this splint was worn by a child with a condition that affected the growth and structure of the leg bones – possibly polio. The splint would have been worn for long period in order to encourage the legs to grow normally.

The splint was used at the Lord Mayor Treloar Orthopaedic Hospital in Alton, England, a hospital set up in 1908 to treat children with a range of orthopaedic conditions and physical disabilities. The hospital combined treatment with education and schooling.