an uncomfortable amount of filling up in the socket to compensate for the shrinkage of the stump will be necessary in order to walk with the least degree of ease or satisfaction. The remaining joints, particularly the knee joint, should be kept in motion as much as can be conveniently, every day; this will prevent their becoming anchylosed (stiff and inflexible). Should this warning come too late, and the joint is already anchylosed, it should be gently and gradually exercised, and oily, relaxing applications applied until straightened and flexible. A free daily use of the cold water bath and brisk rubbing will prove beneficial. An application of a solution of tannin and alcohol will toughen the skin, and in many cases it would be an excellent thing to continue the use of this solution after an artificial leg has been applied.
How Soon After an Amputation
There is a diversity of opinion as to how early a substitute may be applied. Many surgeons strongly urge that an artificial leg cannot be safely fitted for several months after cicatrization occurs, while, on the other hand, some manufacturers of artificial limbs claim that a leg can be satisfactorily fitted just as soon as the stump has healed, no matter if it be but five or six weeks after the amputation.
Much, of course, depends upon the condition of the patient, in circumstance and constitution. It many times occurs that while the edges of the flaps have united, and cicatrization appears, ossification at the sawn end of the bones has not taken place, consequently the necessary pressure and tension on the surrounding integuments and other adjacent parts in wearing a leg will unavoidably cause inconvenience, irritation and pain. It is therefore our opinion, based upon experience and
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