ARTIFICIAL LIMBS

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 256, 17 July 1918, Page 6

ARTIFICIAL LIMBS

DEFENCE DEPARTMENT'S FACTORY .4. representative of the artificial limb factory controlled by the Defence Department is at present in the South Island, where he is examining returned men who require' expert service in the replacement of 'lost limbs. .Air. A. L. Nugent, the travelling representative, is ono of five Now Zealand soldiers who received at Koehampton, 'in England, a thorough training in the manufacture and fitting of artificial limbs. Theso soldiers are now available to attend to the needs of their comrades in this country. For some time thero has been a Government artificial limb Workshop in Welbut its work has been largely confined to repairing the limbs of soldiers who wero fitted out at Home. Now plans have been approved for an up-to-date factory to be run under the control of the Defence Department. The pro]>ability is that the. work of manufacture m that factory will be ill full 6wing in three months' time. Then tho supplying of duplicate limbs to all those men who have come home with only one will bo added to the repair work. It may bo that before long ; soldic-rs will be sent back to New Zealand to get both of their limbs, instead of, as at present, being 1 primarily fitted at Uoehampton. Speaking of the system followed in England, Mr. Nugent said that the. full course of instruction to those taking up tho work occupied eighteen months, and covered a knowledge of elementary anatomy as well as tho whole theory and practice of limb manufacture and fitting. Colonel M'Leod was chief anatomical instructor, and the men "went to school" for tho practical side wfth several of the best English and American limb manufacturing firms of London. Mr. Nugent stressed the importance of the study of; anatomy in relation to liml>fitting, since everything depended on the fitting. A mechanically perfect leg, improperly fitted, was of little use. After their full course at Roehampton, he and another student had spent a month in France' with Dr. Hendricks, who is in charge of the Health Service of the Belgian Army, and is recognised as one of the V-'atest artificial limb experts. The New Zealanders fee afforded every opportunity of studying Dr. Hendricks's methods, and he has agreed to keep in touch with the Dominion authorities, so (hat any improvements or fresh discoveries may be passed on to this country. A similar arrangement has been made between our men and the American Tied Cross, which has just entered upon artificial limb work, in Paris. Two other New Zealanders are now in training at Koehampton, where only men with artificial limbs themselves are instructors, the idea being that they may, in helping their fellows, also help themselves by learning a calling ill which their infirmity does not hinder them. Questioned as to the nature of the work to be undertaken in New Zealand, Mr. Nugent explained that he was now visiting the various associations for the purpose of getting into touch with tho men who might wish to have their limbs attended to. Colonel T. 11. A. Valintine, Director of Military Hospitals, would be in charge of the new branch, and all 'inquiries should be sent to him. There were at: present 500 or 600' New Zealanders who had suffered amputations, but the new factpry should be easily capable of handling all the work. For a I start, at any rate, the men, would bo required to visit Wellington, but every effort would be made towards keeping their loss of time down to the minimum. "The whole thing is," concluded the soldier, "that we are trying to save the chaps as much trouble as possible, and still to give them the very best."