Advertisement

The first step to bionic limbs was a wooden toe grafted onto an Egyptian mummy

Today on Moncrieff, guest host Tara Duggan will be talking to Dr Aidan Roche, an Irish scientist ...
Newstalk
Newstalk

15.01 2 Mar 2015


Share this article


The first step to bionic limbs...

The first step to bionic limbs was a wooden toe grafted onto an Egyptian mummy

Newstalk
Newstalk

15.01 2 Mar 2015


Share this article


Today on Moncrieff, guest host Tara Duggan will be talking to Dr Aidan Roche, an Irish scientist whose work has helped in the “bionic reconstruction” project at a Viennese hospital – giving three men prosthetic limbs they can control with their thoughts.

Tune in live to Moncrieff today at 3.20pm: http://www.newstalk.com/player/

These bionic limbs are the cutting edge of prosthesis, and is a far cry from what is recognised as the world’s first prosthesis – a wooden toe found on the foot of an Egyptian mummy.

Advertisement

Found in 2000, the carved toe, which can been seen in the Cairo Museum, was discovered in a tomb near to the ancient city of Thebes. It was attached to a women aged between 50 and 60, whom archaeologists suspect may have suffered from diabetes.

Dating from between 1069 and 664BC, the wooden and leather appendage predates what was long considered the earliest known prosthetic – the Roman Capua Leg, a piece of bronze made around the year 300BC. The leg was destroyed in a bombing raid during the Blitz of London during World War II.

The toe is not unique, as another one, known as the Greville Chester Great Toe, also exists. But this is not believed to have ever been used in the lifetime of its owner, unlike the wooden one which was grafted to the woman in three places and shows signs of wear. The Greville Chester toe, named after its discoverer, was most likely a cosmetic addition added ceremonially during mummification.

The ancient Egyptians were known for restoring missing body parts to their honoured dead, meaning that lots of things that could be regarded as the earliest prostheses were never actually used in their owner’s lifetime. This is because worshippers of Osiris, the Egyptian god of the dead, believed the body must be intact in order to be effective in the afterlife. According to Egyptian mythology, Osiris himself was believed to have been cut up and had his body parts scattered, before they were made complete again in death.

As such, many artificial body parts have been seen on mummies, including feet, legs, noses, ears and even penises, as Egyptians believed that their afterlives would be filled with procreation.

But the wear and tear on the big wooden toe shows that it was perhaps the first step to bionic limbs.


Share this article


Most Popular