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Sauerbruch's hand

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A hand prosthesis that was controlled and powered directly from surgically prepared muscles of the residual limb. It was devised about 1915 by Sauerbruch in collaboration with Aurel Stodola (1859-1942), a famous Slovak physicist, turbine engineer and professor of mechanics at the Federal Polytechnical School in Zürich (Eidgenössische Polytechnische Hochschule, now Eidgenössische Technische Hochschule - Swiss Federal Institute of Technology). Sauerbruch's hand was the first really satisfactory arm and hand prosthesis.

We thank Patrick Jucker-Kupper, Switzerland, for information submitted.

Bibliography

  • F. Sauerbruch:
    Die willkürlich bewegbare künstliche Hand. Eine Anleitung für Chirurgen und Techniker. Mit anatomischen beiträgen von G. Ruge und W. Felix unter Mitwirkung von A. Stadler. Berlin, Springer, 1916.
  • Martin Friedrich Karpa:
    Die Geschichte der Armprothese unter besonderer Berücksichtigung der Leistung von Ferdinand Sauerbruch (1875-1951).
    Doctoral dissertation, Ruhr-Universität Bochum, Fakultät für Medizin, 2005.

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