today, millions of people who have lost body parts because of illness or injury live better lives thanks to of the art and science of prosthetics. prosthetics are artificial arms, legs, feet, joints, and other body parts. today they may have high-tech computer controls and sensors. But the very first working, artificial body part in history that we know about was made for an ancient Egyptian woman who had lost her big toe, probably because of diabetes.
The so-called “cairo toe” is an artistic wooden and leather right big toe. It was found attached to the well-preserved mummified foot of the wife of a high priest. When she died, somewhere around 664 B.C.E., she was between 50 and 60 years old. Her foot was found by archaeologists in 2002 in the theban necropolis (an area near modern Luxor with many tombs, especially of priests and nobles).
The toe is cleverly made with joints so that it can bend, much like a real toe. It includes a tinted toenail, and was attached to the foot with linen threads. the toe shows signs of wear, and the site where the original toe was cut off is well-healed. therefore, many people who have studied the toe think the woman actually wore it for many years, to aid her in walking and balance. other scholars, including Dr. Zahi Hawass, secretary general of Egypt’s Supreme council of Antiquities, disagree. Hawass thinks the toe was probably attached to the foot after death, just to help the woman look better in the afterlife.
To find out if the cairo toe could have worked in real life, a team of scientists from the KnH centre for Biomedical Egyptology at the University of manchester in Britain is testing copies of the ancient toe on volunteers who are missing their right big toe. they will observe how the toe works in everyday use, and check it to see if it wears down like the ancient model.
The toe is cleverly made with joints so that it can bend, much like a real toe. It includes a tinted toenail, and was attached to the foot with linen threads. the toe shows signs of wear, and the site where the original toe was cut off is well-healed. therefore, many people who have studied the toe think the woman actually wore it for many years, to aid her in walking and balance. other scholars, including Dr. Zahi Hawass, secretary general of Egypt’s Supreme council of Antiquities, disagree. Hawass thinks the toe was probably attached to the foot after death, just to help the woman look better in the afterlife.
To find out if the cairo toe could have worked in real life, a team of scientists from the KnH centre for Biomedical Egyptology at the University of manchester in Britain is testing copies of the ancient toe on volunteers who are missing their right big toe. they will observe how the toe works in everyday use, and check it to see if it wears down like the ancient model.
