For most of us, the fact that modern technology isn’t actually ‘ingenious’ but an extension of ancient practices would be hard to digest. Accept it or not, most of modern medicinal ‘technology’ had been an integral part of ancient medicine and surgery. For long, we had believed that plastic surgery is a recent invention. On the contrary, as research proved, the concept was made use of in...India, yes! And, recent research suggests that prosthetics per se is no recent concept. Ancient Egyptians were the first to apply this concept sometime between 1069 and 664 B.C.
Nicknamed the ‘Cairo Toe’, this fake wooden add-on was used as a practical limb to replace a lost toe in people’s feet. Signs of wear on the prosthetic toe ruled out any speculation that it might have been used just as a showpiece. This discovery disproves the earlier finding that practical application of prosthetics started in 300 B.C. A fake leg made of bronze was discovered previously. Scientists are currently testing to confirm if the ‘toe’ had indeed proved useful. The ‘Cairo Toe’ is put up for public viewing at the Cairo Museum in Egypt.
Via: Telegraph
