James Gillingham Explained

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]

Early life

Gillingham was educated at Chard School.[5]

Career

Gillingham was a Victorian boot and shoemaker[6] at his Golden Shoe shop[7] until 1863 when he began making artificial limbs from leather and molded like a pair of shoes.[8] His first prosthetic limb was for William Singleton,[9] a local man who lost an arm firing a cannon for a celebratory salute, which Gillingham made at no cost to Singleton.[8] 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.[10]

The Lancet medical journal in a 1868 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."[11] 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.[12] He took black-and-white photos to show the detail and fit of each prosthetic.[8]

Gillingham's story was included in the BBC One 2017 documentary titled Invented in… that featured the Chard Museum.[6]

Book

In 2001, author Derrick W. Warren wrote the book James Gillingham: Surgical Mechanist & Manufacturer of Artificial Limbs, published by Somerset Industrial Archaeological Society.[13]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: 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. 10.2218/forum.08.623 . 142733952 . free .
  4. Book: Smith . Marquard . Morra . Joanne . 2006 . The Prosthetic Impulse: From a Posthuman Present to a Biocultural Future . MIT Press . 54 . 9780262195300.
  5. A Distinguished Old Boy - Derrick Warren . News Bulletin . September 2021 . 43 . 5 . 16 March 2023 . Old Cerdics Association.
  6. Web site: Chard Museum to take centre stage in new BBC show. Chard and Ilminster News.
  7. Web site: Гений протезов - английский сапожник, который ошеломил медицинский мир (Фото). Теlegraf.
  8. Web site: Artificial limbs from 1900 were decades ahead of their time. Alex. Arbuckle. Mashable.
  9. Web site: The Lancet. 7 April 2019. J. Onwhyn.. Google Books.
  10. Web site: Somerset's heritage sites: a speedy tour. Sophie. Campbell. 15 September 2009. The Telegraph. www.telegraph.co.uk.
  11. 1868-11-07. Gillingham's Artificial Legs. The Lancet. English. 92. 2358. 607–608. 10.1016/S0140-6736(02)72122-3. 0140-6736.
  12. Web site: Art and Medicine Bibliography, James Gillingham.. 2020-08-26. www.artandmedicine.com.
  13. Book: Warren, Derrick W.. James Gillingham: Surgical Mechanist & Manufacturer of Artificial Limbs. 7 April 2019. Somerset Industrial Archaeological Society. Google Books. 9780953353958.

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "James Gillingham".

Except where otherwise indicated, Everything.Explained.Today is © Copyright 2009-2024, A B Cryer, All Rights Reserved. Cookie policy.