James Gillingham

James Gillingham (1839–1924)[1] was a prosthetic limb manufacturer based in Chard, Somerset[2] in the 19th century[3] and one of the first to have photographs taken of his works.[4]

Career

Gillingham was a Victorian boot and shoemaker[5] at his Golden Shoe shop[6] until 1863 when he began making artificial limbs made from leather and molded like a pair of shoes.[7] His first prosthetic limb was for William Singleton,[8] a local man who lost an arm firing a cannon for a celebratory salute, which Gillingham made at no cost to Singleton.[7] He then made prostheses on a permanent basis. Chard, as a result, became a major centre of the British artificial limb industry.[1] Samples from Gillingham's workshop are on display at the Chard Museum.[9]

The Lancet medical journal in a 1966 article described Gillingham's prostheses as "strong, light, and durable" and took 10 days to make, were "easy wearing and not likely to get out of repair; simple in construction, and as beautiful as life in appearance." Nicknamed the "Leather Leg," Gillingham molded the leather to the patient's limb before hardening it. By 1910, he had restored mobility and function to more than 15,000 patients. He took black-and-white photos to show the detail and fit of each prosthetic.[7]

Gillingham's story was included in the BBC One 2017 documentary titled Invented in… that featured the Chard Museum.[5]

Book

In 2001, author Derrick W. Warren wrote the book James Gillingham: Surgical Mechanist & Manufacturer of Artificial Limbs, published by Somerset Industrial Archaeological Society.[10]

References
  1. "Girl wearing two artificial legs, 1890-1910". Science & Society Picture Library.
  2. Smith, Marquard (2002). "The uncertainty of placing : prosthetic bodies, sculptural design, and unhomely dwelling in Marc Quinn, James Gillingham and Sigmund Freud". New Formations (46).
  3. Wright, Elizabeth (2009). "My Prosthetic and I: Identity Representation in Bodily Extension". Forum: University of Edinburgh Postgraduate Journal of Culture & the Arts (8).
  4. Smith, Marquard; Morra, Joanne (2006). The Prosthetic Impulse: From a Posthuman Present to a Biocultural Future. MIT Press. p. 54. ISBN 9780262195300.
  5. "Chard Museum to take centre stage in new BBC show". Chard & Ilminster News.
  6. "Гений протезов - английский сапожник, который ошеломил медицинский мир (Фото)". Теlegraf.
  7. Arbuckle, Alex. "Artificial limbs from 1900 were decades ahead of their time". Mashable.
  8. "The Lancet". J. Onwhyn. 7 April 2019 – via Google Books.
  9. Campbell, Sophie (15 September 2009). "Somerset's heritage sites: a speedy tour". The Telegraph – via www.telegraph.co.uk.
  10. Warren, Derrick W. (7 April 2019). James Gillingham: Surgical Mechanist & Manufacturer of Artificial Limbs. Somerset Industrial Archaeological Society. ISBN 9780953353958 – via Google Books.


This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.