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950 BCE
Earliest known Prosthetic Device
From what we can tell, the earliest example of a prosthetic device was a toe! Specifically, it was a big toe, and it belonged to an Egyptian noblewoman between 950 and 710 BC.
It’s a bit surprising that the first prosthesis was something as seemingly insignificant as a big toe — but the thing about Egyptian culture back then was that they were very concerned about wearing their sandals. If you were going to wear traditional Egyptian thong sandals then you needed your big toe. -
218 BCE
Prosthetic Limb- Roman Times
In the history of prosthetic limbs, the most famous Ancient Roman with a documented prosthesis was General Marcus Sergius.
Sergius lost his right hand in the second Punic War. He was given a prosthesis made from iron that allowed him to properly hold his shield and keep fighting. The loss of his hand occurred very early in his military career, but it didn’t stop him from escaping both times when he was later captured twice by Hannibal. -
Dr Ambroise Pare
It wasn’t until the early 16th century that Dr. Ambroise Paré made great progress in amputation surgery and prosthetic limbs. He was the very first person to develop a prosthetic hand with hinges and a leg with a locking knee joint.
Paré’s advances opened up new thinking for amputation and prosthetics. Inventors would continue to advance the science of the prosthetic limb continually leading up to the modern day. -
Peter Verduyn
Pieter Verduyn was a Dutch surgeon who in 1696 invented a nonlocking below-knee prosthetic. This device had external hinges and a leather thigh socket, which is similar in form and function to modern corset prosthetics.
