ARTIFICIAL ARMS.

Press, Volume LV, Issue 16417, 10 January 1919, Page 3

ARTIFICIAL ARMS.

A statement furnished by the British Ministry of Pensions regarding tho methods adopted to secure a prompt supply of artificial limbs to disabled service men intimates that experts agree that, in spite of great improvements, the Tesults in regard to artificial arms so far have been disappointing; but this is not due to miscalculations on the parti of the Ministry or of the surgeons or the limb-makers. Apart from tho difficulty _of producing an artificial arm as effective for its purpose as an artificial leg is for simpler movement, men have shown a disinclination to perscrero in the use of their artificial arms, and to meet this difficulty it has been agreed that those who have been supplied! should be retained at military orthopaedic centres for one month after tho arm is fitted, so that they may receive adequate instruction in its use in the workshops attached to the centres. It is obviously much easier to train a man to vralk with an artificial leg than to train him in the use of an artificial arm. Standardisation has not been adopted, on account of constant improvements, but, with a view to facilitating repairs, the Advisory Council during the past year has considered the standardisation if component parts.