The human body is a marvel of engineering, but it’s a machine that requires maintenance and repair. At times, that means trying to replace parts lost to injury or illness. The oldest known prosthesis is the “Cairo toe,” crafted out of wood and leather and thought to be 2,700 to 3,000 years old. Its flexibility as well as signs that it was repaired multiple times suggest that it wasn’t built just for appearance — it helped the person walk.
Many efforts to improve replacement body parts followed, including a leg made from bronze and hollowed wood created in what’s now Italy around 300 B.C.
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