Pegleg
Encyclopedia
Prosthesis
In medicine, a prosthesis, prosthetic, or prosthetic limb is an artificial device extension that replaces a missing body part. It is part of the field of biomechatronics, the science of using mechanical devices with human muscle, skeleton, and nervous systems to assist or enhance motor control...
, more specifically an artificial limb of carved wood fitted to the remaining stump of a human leg, as often seen in pirate movies. Wooden peg legs have been replaced by more modern materials, though some sports prostheses do have the same form.
Historical
- François Leclerc (~1554), privateerPrivateerA privateer is a private person or ship authorized by a government by letters of marque to attack foreign shipping during wartime. Privateering was a way of mobilizing armed ships and sailors without having to spend public money or commit naval officers...
- Cornelis JolCornelis JolCornelis Corneliszoon Jol , nicknamed Houtebeen , was a 17th-Century Dutch corsair and admiral in the Dutch West India Company during the Eighty Year's War between Spain and the fledgling Dutch Republic...
, (1597–1641), privateer and admiralAdmiralAdmiral is the rank, or part of the name of the ranks, of the highest naval officers. It is usually considered a full admiral and above vice admiral and below admiral of the fleet . It is usually abbreviated to "Adm" or "ADM"...
of the Dutch West India CompanyDutch West India CompanyDutch West India Company was a chartered company of Dutch merchants. Among its founding fathers was Willem Usselincx... - Peter StuyvesantPeter StuyvesantPeter Stuyvesant , served as the last Dutch Director-General of the colony of New Netherland from 1647 until it was ceded provisionally to the English in 1664, after which it was renamed New York...
(1612–1672), DutchNetherlandsThe Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
director-generalDirector-General of New NetherlandThis is a list of Directors, appointed by the Dutch West India Company, of the 17th century Dutch province of New Netherland in North America...
of New AmsterdamNew AmsterdamNew Amsterdam was a 17th-century Dutch colonial settlement that served as the capital of New Netherland. It later became New York City.... - Clayton Bates (Peg Leg Bates)Peg Leg BatesClayton "Peg Leg" Bates was an Afro-American entertainer from Fountain Inn, South Carolina.Bates lost a leg at the age of 12 in a cotton gin accident. He subsequently taught himself to tap dance with a wooden peg leg...
(1907–1998), dancer, Afro-American amputee RAKRAKRAK or rak can refer to:*Marrakech-Menara Airport, IATA airport code*PM-63 RAK, a Polish 9 mm submachine gun*Ras Al Khaimah, the northern-most emirate in the United Arab Emirates*Rak, a creature in the Wizard of Oz books... - Blas de LezoBlas de LezoBlas de Lezo y Olavarrieta , also known as "Patapalo" , and later as "Mediohombre" for the many wounds suffered in his long military life, was a Spanish admiral, and one of the greatest strategists and commanders in the history of the Spanish Navy...
(1687–1741), SpanishSpainSpain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
admiral - Gouverneur MorrisGouverneur MorrisGouverneur Morris , was an American statesman, a Founding Father of the United States, and a native of New York City who represented Pennsylvania in the Constitutional Convention of 1787. He was a signatory to the Articles of Confederation. Morris was also an author of large sections of the...
(1752–1816), AmericanUnited StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
politicianPoliticianA politician, political leader, or political figure is an individual who is involved in influencing public policy and decision making... - Józef SowińskiJózef SowinskiJózef Sowiński was a Polish artillery general and one of the heroes of Poland's November 1830 Uprising.-Biography:Józef Longin Sowiński was born March 15, 1777 Warsaw, after graduating from the famous Corps of Cadets in Warsaw, he joined the Polish Army as a lieutenant during the Kościuszko Uprising...
(1777–1831), PolishPolandPoland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
19th century generalGeneralA general officer is an officer of high military rank, usually in the army, and in some nations, the air force. The term is widely used by many nations of the world, and when a country uses a different term, there is an equivalent title given.... - Daniel Sullivan (~1871), ChicagoChicagoChicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
an - Thomas L. "Pegleg" Smith (1801–1866), AmericanUnited StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
prospectorProspectingProspecting is the physical search for minerals, fossils, precious metals or mineral specimens, and is also known as fossicking.Prospecting is a small-scale form of mineral exploration which is an organised, large scale effort undertaken by mineral resource companies to find commercially viable ore... - Robert McAlpin WilliamsonRobert McAlpin WilliamsonRobert McAlpin Williamson was a Republic of Texas Supreme Court Justice, state lawmaker and Texas Ranger. Williamson County, Texas is named for him.-Early life:...
(1804? – December 22, 1859), nicknamed "Three legged Willie", Republic of TexasRepublic of TexasThe Republic of Texas was an independent nation in North America, bordering the United States and Mexico, that existed from 1836 to 1846.Formed as a break-away republic from Mexico by the Texas Revolution, the state claimed borders that encompassed an area that included all of the present U.S...
Supreme Court Justice, state lawmaker and Texas RangerTexas Ranger DivisionThe Texas Ranger Division, commonly called the Texas Rangers, is a law enforcement agency with statewide jurisdiction in Texas, and is based in Austin, Texas...
. - Peg Leg SamPeg Leg SamPeg Leg Sam was an American country blues harmonicist, singer and comedian. He recorded "Fox Chase" and "John Henry", and worked in medicine shows...
(Arthur Jackson) (1911–1977) American blues musician - Dennis Collins, British sailor
- Giraud de Mauleon Seigneur de Gourdan, French governor of Calais
Fictional
- Pete, Disney's oldest recurring character.
- Captain Ahab, character in Moby Dick
- Silas Wegg, character in Our Mutual Friend by Charles Dickens
- Wirt, character in the computer games Diablo and Diablo IIDiablo IIDiablo II is a dark fantasy/horror-themed hack and slash, with elements of the role playing game and dungeon crawl genres. It was released for Windows and Mac OS in 2000 by Blizzard Entertainment, and was developed by Blizzard North. It is a direct sequel to the 1996 hit PC game, Diablo.Diablo II...
. His pegleg can be used to open the Secret Cow Level. - Fidget from The Great Mouse DetectiveThe Great Mouse DetectiveThe Great Mouse Detective is a 1986 animated feature produced by Walt Disney Feature Animation, originally released to movie theaters on July 2, 1986 by Walt Disney Pictures...
. - Alastor "Mad-Eye" Moody, character from the Harry PotterHarry PotterHarry Potter is a series of seven fantasy novels written by the British author J. K. Rowling. The books chronicle the adventures of the adolescent wizard Harry Potter and his best friends Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger, all of whom are students at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry...
books and movies. - Seamus, a character in the American animated television series Family GuyFamily GuyFamily Guy is an American animated television series created by Seth MacFarlane for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series centers on the Griffins, a dysfunctional family consisting of parents Peter and Lois; their children Meg, Chris, and Stewie; and their anthropomorphic pet dog Brian...
who not only has two peglegs, but two peg arms as well. - Jonathan Small a character in the Sherlock HolmesSherlock HolmesSherlock Holmes is a fictional detective created by Scottish author and physician Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. The fantastic London-based "consulting detective", Holmes is famous for his astute logical reasoning, his ability to take almost any disguise, and his use of forensic science skills to solve...
story The Sign of the Four. - Hector BarbossaHector BarbossaHector Barbossa is a fictional character and pirate in the Disney film series Pirates of the Caribbean. Barbossa was first introduced in the series as the main antagonist of the first film, and pirate captain of the Black Pearl after committing mutiny against the ship's former captain, Jack...
, a character in Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides.
Not Quite Peglegs in Fiction
- Long John SilverLong John SilverLong John Silver is a fictional character and the primary antagonist of the novel Treasure Island, by Robert Louis Stevenson. Silver is also known by the nicknames "Barbecue" and the "Sea-Cook".- Profile :...
in the book Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stephenson, was missing a leg, but did not have a peg leg. He hopped around on a crutchCrutchCrutches are mobility aids used to counter a mobility impairment or an injury that limits walking ability.- Types :There are several different types of crutches:...
. Ironically, most people associate him with pirates having peg legs. - Davy JonesDavy Jones (Pirates of the Caribbean)Davy Jones is a fictional character and antagonist in the Pirates of the Caribbean series. Davy Jones is the captain of the Flying Dutchman , roaming the seas in search of souls to serve upon his vessel for a century...
, a character in the film Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest, was missing a leg, but it was replaced by the leg of a crabCrabTrue crabs are decapod crustaceans of the infraorder Brachyura, which typically have a very short projecting "tail" , or where the reduced abdomen is entirely hidden under the thorax...
. - The Scotsman, in the Samurai JackSamurai JackSamurai Jack is an American animated television series created by animator Genndy Tartakovsky that aired on both Cartoon Network and Toonami from 2001 to 2004. It is noted for its highly detailed, outline-free, masking-based animation, as well as for its cinematic style and pacing...
TV series, has his missing leg replaced by a machine gunMachine gunA machine gun is a fully automatic mounted or portable firearm, usually designed to fire rounds in quick succession from an ammunition belt or large-capacity magazine, typically at a rate of several hundred rounds per minute....
. - Cherry Darling, in the Grindhouse film Planet TerrorPlanet TerrorPlanet Terror is a 2007 American action horror film written and directed by Robert Rodriguez, about a group of people attempting to survive an onslaught of zombie-like creatures as they feud with a military unit, including a go-go dancer searching for a way to use her "useless talents." The film, a...
, has a missing leg replaced by an assault rifleAssault rifleAn assault rifle is a selective fire rifle that uses an intermediate cartridge and a detachable magazine. Assault rifles are the standard infantry weapons in most modern armies...
.
Railroads
- Fulton Chain RailroadFulton Chain Railroad (Peg Leg)The Fulton Chain Railroad, also known as the "Peg Leg", was a private railroad connecting Moose River to Minnehaha, New York in the Fulton Chain of Lakes. The line was built in 1888, and ceased running in 1892. The line was eight miles long, and had wooden rails, hence the nickname "Peg Leg". It...
also known as the "Peg Leg" from its wooden rails. - Bradford and Foster Brook RailwayBradford and Foster Brook RailwayThe Bradford & Foster Brook Railway was one of, if not the first, monorails in America. Inspired by a working demonstration at the Philadelphia Centenntial Exposition of 1876, Col. Roy Stone thought it would solve transportation problems near Bradford. In 1876, Bradford was a booming oil town...
also known as the "Peg Leg" from its wooden support piles.
Books
- Murdoch, George and Wilson, A. Bennett (1998) A primer on amputations and artificial limbs C. Thomas, Springfield, Illinois, ISBN 0-398-06800-3
- Pitkin, Mark R. (2009) Biomechanics of Lower Limb Prosthetics Springer verlag, New York, ISBN 978-3-642-03015-4
- Seymour, Ron (2002) Prosthetics and orthotics: lower limb and spinal Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, ISBN 0-7817-2854-1
- Warren, D. W. (2001) James Gillingham: surgical mechanist & manufacturer of artificial limbs Somerset Industrial Archaeology Society, Taunton, England, ISBN 0-9533539-5-8
Articles
- Bliquez, L. J. (1996) "Prosthetics in classical antiquity: Greek, Etruscan and Roman prosthetics" In: Haase, W. and Temporini, H. (editors) (1996) Aufstieg und niedergang der Römischen welt II Walter de Gruyter, Berlin, pp. 2640–2676
- Cantos, Mae (2005) "Pirates & Peg Legs: a Historical Look at Amputation and Prosthetics" In: Whitelaw, William A. (2005) (editor) Proceedings of the 14h Annual History of Medicine Days Faculty of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, pp. 16–20,
- Finch, J. (2011) "The ancient origins of prosthetic medicine" Lancet 377(9765): pp. 548–549
- Padula, Patricia A. and Friedmann, Lawrence W. (1987) "Acquired Amputation and Prostheses Before the Sixteenth Century" The Journal of Vascular Disease 38(2 Pt. 1): pp. 133–141, doi: 10.1177/000331978703800207
- Reeves, Nicholas (1999) "New lights on ancient Egyptian prosthetic medicine" In: Davies, W. V. (editor) (1999) Studies in Egyptian Antiquities. A Tribute to T.G.H. James British Museum Press, London, pp. 73–77, ISBN 0-86159-123-2
- Thurston, Alan J. (2007) "Paré and prosthetics: the early history of artificial limbs" ANZ Journal of Surgery 77(12): pp. 1114–1119, doi: 10.1111/j.1445-2197.2007.04330.x
- Wilson, Philip D. (1922) "Early weight-bearing in the treatment of amputations of the lower limbs" The Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery 4: pp. 224–247