Posted on 07/27/2007 11:57:48 AM PDT by Daffynition
An artificial big toe found on the foot of an ancient Egyptian mummy could be the world's earliest functional fake body part, UK experts believe.
A Manchester University team hope to prove that the leather and wood "Cairo toe" not only looked the part but also helped its owner walk.
They will test a replica in volunteers whose right big toe is missing.
If true, the toe will predate the currently considered earliest practical prosthesis - a fake leg from 300BC.
If we can prove it was functional then we will have pushed back prosthetic medicine by as much as 700 years Lead researcher Jacky Finch
The Roman Capua Leg, made of bronze, was held at the Royal College of Surgeons in London but was destroyed by Luftwaffe bombs during the Second World War.
Lead researcher Jacky Finch said: "The toe dates from between 1069 and 664BC, so if we can prove it was functional then we will have pushed back prosthetic medicine by as much as 700 years."
Colleagues at the University of Salford will also be testing a second, even older ancient Egyptian big toe which is currently on display at the British Museum.
This artefact, from between 1295 and 664BC, is made from cartonnage, a kind of papier-mâché made from linen, glue and plaster.
Like the Cairo toe, this too shows signs of wear, suggesting that it was worn by its owner in life and not simply attached to the foot during mummification for religious or ritualistic reasons.
However, unlike the Cairo toe, it does not bend, suggesting it may have been more cosmetic.
Jacky Finch said: "The Cairo toe is the most likely of the two to be functional as it is articulated and shows signs of wear.
"It is still attached to the foot of the mummy of a female between 50 and 60 years of age. The amputation site is also well healed."
The Cairo toe is on display at the Cairo Museum in Egypt.
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The mummy required a prosthesis after suffering a severe bout of tolio as a child.
Artificial toe puts mummy in history booksThey say the mummified remains of a woman discovered in the necropolis of Thebes-West show that her big toe was surgically removed and replaced with a wooden one which allowed her to move about normally... The scientists, from Ludwig-Maximilians University in Munich, say that the woman's toe had clearly been removed during her lifetime, because the amputation site was covered with an intact layer of soft tissue, including skin. The amputation was probably carried out because the woman, who died in her 50s, had developed gangrene as a result of arteriosclerosis- the hardening of the arteries.
by Brian Whitaker
Saturday December 23, 2000
Good thing it wasn’t a case of the kneesles.
Africa pinglist ping.
or the dreaded bubonic p-leg.
It didn’t come from a camel? Who knew!
OMG! I read that as Camel Toe.
The title says it was bit, but I don’t see any teethmarks on it...
Musta been a Drill Sergeant.
I saw one like this in Discovery magazine about four or five years ago. I may still have the magazine, but I have no idea where.
It was tied on but I think it may only have been “cosmetic,” from the looks of it. But how do we know? Maybe it worked...;o]
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I once knew a guy who had his toes amputated so he could stand closer to the bar. Go figure.
I'm guessing he also rode home in a toe truck...
Or smallc- uh, never mind...
All this time I thought Cairo toe was a martial art.
If it was from a woman, I bet Dick Morris would be interested.
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