Step on it.[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Could this wooden toe be the world's oldest, functional prosthesis prosthesis (prŏs`thĭsĭs): see artificial limb. prosthesis Artificial substitute for a missing part of the body, usually an arm or leg. ? A scientist hopes to find out. The fake body part was attached to the foot of a female Egyptian mummy. That woman would have lived between 1000 and 600 B.C. Scientists aren't sure if the phony digit was a decorative substitute for a missing toe or a useful walking aid. To find out, Jacky Finch finch, common name for members of the Fringillidae, the largest family of birds (including over half the known species), found in most parts of the world except Australia. , a biologist at the University of Manchester The University of Manchester is a university located in Manchester, England. With over 40,000 students studying 500 academic programmes, more than 10,000 staff and an annual income of nearly £600 million it is the largest single-site University in the United Kingdom and receives in England, is seeking female volunteers with a missing right big toe big toe n. The largest and innermost toe of the human foot. to put it to the test. Clad in replicas of the ancient toe, volunteers will walk on mats attached to a computer, which will analyze foot pressure. If the fake toe lightens the volunteers' steps, it will go on record as the oldest known working prosthesis--beating out an artificial leg from 300 B.C. |
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