This looks like a horrifying suggestion for DIY surgery – using a hammer and a chisel-like object to amputate a big toe – but it’s actually an illustration from an 18th century medical dictionary. Thankfully amputation techniques have moved on a bit since this was published in 1743.
Amputations usually come about for one of three reasons: gangrene, a limb posing a threat to life through being cancerous or infected, or serious trauma such as being crushed.
Diabetes is the most common cause of lower limb amputation, and people with diabetes are 15 times more likely to require a leg amputation than people without. Keeping your diabetes well controlled can help to reduce this risk.
If you do happen to accidentally slice off a finger or toe try not to panic. The NHS advise you wrap it in sterile gauze, pop it in a resealable bag or plastic container and then surround it with ice. (NB – don’t put the severed limb in direct contact with the ice as this can damage it.) Digits can survive up to eight hours if properly packed and cooled, though limbs such as a hand or foot will only manage up to six hours.
That said, we highly recommend that you try to avoid such accidents, and definitely don’t try to recreate the scene depicted in the image above.
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Filed under: History of Medicine, Wellcome Featured Image Tagged: Amputation, image of the week, Medical History
