INDIAN VET MAKES CLAIM FOR LOSS OF HIS "CORK" LEG
Washington, D.C. (JFK+50) On September 26, 1923, The Evening Star reports that there is a "new use for artificial legs." It seems an Indian veteran with an artificial leg had it destroyed in an emergency situation.
The gentlemen was hauling coal up a hill when he had to brake his wagon. Having no brake, the quick-thinking veteran "took off his (artificial) leg and stuck it in the wheel."
The good news is that the wagon was stopped and a catastrophe averted. The bad news is that the Indian veteran saw his artificial leg destroyed.
JFK+50 NOTE
According to our sources, "cork legs" was "a widely used & misleading 19th century colloquialism for artificial limbs." In the 500 years before the 20th century, artificial limbs were made from copper, iron, steel and wood. Following WWII, a combination of wood & leather was used.
SOURCES
"Artificial Legs," Victorian Review, Project Muse, www.muse.jdu.edu/
"Timeline: Prosthetic Limbs Through the Years," March 8, 2015, UPMC, www.upmc.com/
"Vet's Cork Leg Beats Natural Kind as Brake," The Evening Star, Washington, D.C., September 26, 1923, Chronicling America, Library of Congress, www.loc.gov/
