Artificial Body Parts - Research Paper Example

? Artificial Body Parts Artificial Body Parts The Human body as created by God is perfect with its all the organs and parts performing their respective functions. This normal and coordinated functioning of all the parts of a human body enables us to perform our daily routines efficiently as well as give our participation towards the society. However, in some circumstance when one of these parts is severed and could not function properly or is amputated such as a limb, the human body gets handicapped and usually relies on others to fulfill its needs. This not only disables a person to earn his bread and butter but, also makes his life miserable. With the evolution of time and continued researches in the field of science, scientists have been able to produce artificial body parts which although cannot function just like the natural ones but gives a person enough ability perform his daily tasks without needing someone else’s help. The development of artificial body parts such as artificial limbs: legs and arms have been considered as the most important development when it comes to this field of science. They enable a person to walk or to hold a glass of water who could not even stand earlier. Moreover they make a person feel normal and look normal just like every other normal human being. The artificial body parts are also used nowadays to get the normal cosmetic appearance of person Historical background Prosthesis is a vast field of medicine and its history relates back to the ancient Egyptians. In the time of ancient Egypt, it is believed that both functional and non functional artificial body parts were used either to compensate for the functional disability or the cosmetic appearance of a person. This relation of prosthesis and ancient Egypt was found with the discovery of many fake legs and other body parts such as nose in the tombs. However the first ever functional artificial body part was a big toe which was found with the mummy of a woman. This big toe is supposed to be from 664 B.C and is so far believed to be the first one of its type (Choi 2007). Other parts have also been found with other mummies like another big toe which was not bendable and was supposed to be more for cosmetic appearance than function. With the development of time, the field of prosthesis progressed and many new ways of creating artificial body parts were discovered. However these parts were only the replacements of lost bones and could not replace the moveable joints of the body which made them barely functional. There still was some need of developing ne techniques that could enable us to develop something which replaces the lost joints of the body. The first major development in the history of prosthesis occurred in the 17th century when a French surgeon Ambroise Pare developed an artificial leg with locking knee mechanism. Other notable advancements that occurred in the same century was the development of lower limb prosthetic with improved joining mechanisms. Surprisingly these two major developments are still in use in the modern prosthetic limb industry with a few alterations. In the early 19th century the prosthetic industry boomed when it comes to progress. New techniques such as suction mechanism were discovered as well as there was an improvement in the process of amputation with the development of anesthesia and the mortality rate during the procedure decreased significantly. The need for such progress and developments arose due to the American civil war in the 19th century when the increased rate of amputations. A major development in the era was the production of a prosthetic arm. This prosthetic arm could be controlled by straps that were attached to the other shoulder thus enabling a person to bend his elbow with the help of other shoulder just like the breaking mechanism used in the vehicles. The progress in the industry during the 19th century was also due to the increased awareness mainly in the government sector about the usefulness of artificial body parts and increased government funding to support the industry so the further researches could take place. With the artificial limb program started by national academy of sciences to compensate for the amputations that occurred during the Second World War, the development and production of better and more functional artificial limbs increase. However, the use of artificial body parts was only confined to compensate for the functional loss of the body and their use was in creating the normal cosmetic appearance of the body was not properly understood until the late 29th century. In the 20th century after the successful production of artificial limbs, the scientists diverted their mind in using this art for more useful purposes. These researches gave a whole new way to the field of prosthesis. Now with the further developments a whole part of the body can reconstructed using material that usually appear just like their natural predecessors. Many new ways of surgeries have developed and with the help of these, a person who lost his ear or nose can get it back and look normal (Valauri 1992). Not only that the external part of ear can be reconstructed, with latest technology its inner functional part can also be produced and implanted. Modern prosthetic limbs have not only made a person bale to walk but he can now run as the new techniques have made it possible to create limbs with moveable joints with low weight materials in contrast to ancient materials which were too heavy and made by inexperienced workers. The Goods and Bads of Prosthetics While going through the history of developments that took place in the field of science and technology, we discover that development that has taken place so far has both good and bad sides. The field of prosthetics, being a part of these developments also has both the sides but, its good side has overshadowed its bad side so far. Talking about the bad side first, the major issue that is raised by many researchers is the amount of load a prosthetic limb exerts on the remaining part of the respective limb. The amount of stress on the bone could lead to the deformities of the respective structure and patient non compliance as well (Mooney et al 2004). In case of internal implants such as artificial heart valves tissue rejection has been a major problem. The immune system of the body usually responds to every alien material that enters in the body, the reaction of the tissues to these implants could lead to devastating results (Mooney et al 2004). Also the dysfunction of the pacemaker installed to keep the normal rhythm of the heart could lead to heart attacks or arrhythmias. On the other hand when we see the positive aspects of using these prosthetic body parts in the field medicine, these minor drawbacks are usually overshadowed. Prosthesis has revolutionized the field of science and medicine in many ways. First and foremost is the use of prosthetic limbs to replace amputated limbs of the body. This enables a person to perform his daily tasks normally as well as participate socially (Klute et al 2001). The modern prosthetic industry has proved to be life saving so far. The use of prosthetic heart valves and pacemaker can avoid deadly circumstances incase these are not used. Patients all over the world are highly satisfied with the use of the body parts (Ephraim et al 2004). Conclusion Artificial body parts have been used by man for a long time. From the ancient Egyptians to the modern day man, these artificial parts have helped man in regaining both normal function and cosmetic appearance of the body. Although slow in the early time the development in this field has been remarkable and enabled the disabled man to do anything now. With time the use of materials have changed, early people used to use heavy materials such as iron and wood for the purpose which are now replaced by more convenient and light weight pylon like materials. These developments have made their use indispensible in the field of medicine and their importance nowadays cannot be overlooked. References Klute, G. K., Kallfelz, C. F., & Czerniecki, J. M. (January 01, 2001). Mechanical properties of prosthetic limbs: adapting to the patient. Journal of Rehabilitation Research and Development, 38, 3.) World's First Prosthetic: Egyptian Mummy's Fake Toe | LiveScience . (n.d.). Science News – Science Articles and Current Events | LiveScience . Retrieved April 14, 2012, from http://www.livescience.com/4555-world-prosthetic-egyptian-mummy-fake-toe.html Skeletal extension of limb prosthetic attachments–problems in tissue reaction - Mooney - 2004 - Journal of Biomedical Materials Research - Wiley Online Library. (n.d.). Wiley Online Library. Retrieved April 14, 2012, from http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.100 Valauri, A. J. (January 01, 1992). The history and development of facial prostheses. Advances in Ophthalmic Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, 9, 243-60. Read More