James Gillingham

Prosthetic limbs creator

For the Canadian basketball player, see James Gillingham (basketball).

James Gillingham (1839–1924)[1] was a prosthetic limb manufacturer based in Chard, Somerset[2] in the 19th century[3] and one of the first to have photographs taken of his works.[4]

## Early life

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Gillingham was educated at Chard School.[5]

## Career

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Gillingham was a Victorian boot and shoemaker[6] at his Golden Shoe shop[7] until 1863 when he began making artificial limbs from leather and molded like a pair of shoes.[8] His first prosthetic limb was for William Singleton,[9] a local man who lost an arm firing a cannon for a celebratory salute, which Gillingham made at no cost to Singleton.[8] He then made prostheses on a permanent basis. Chard, as a result, became a major centre of the British artificial limb industry.[1] Samples from Gillingham's workshop are on display at the Chard Museum.[10]

The Lancet medical journal in a 1868 article described Gillingham's prostheses as "strong, light, and durable" and took 10 days to make, were "easy wearing and not likely to get out of repair; simple in construction, and as beautiful as life in appearance."[11] Nicknamed the 'Leather Leg', Gillingham molded the leather to the patient's limb before hardening it. By 1910, he had restored mobility and function to more than 15,000 patients.[12] He took black-and-white photos to show the detail and fit of each prosthetic.[8]

Gillingham's story was included in the BBC One 2017 documentary titled Invented in… that featured the Chard Museum.[6]

## Book

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In 2001, author Derrick W. Warren wrote the book James Gillingham: Surgical Mechanist & Manufacturer of Artificial Limbs, published by Somerset Industrial Archaeological Society.[13]

## References

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1. ^ a b "Girl wearing two artificial legs, 1890-1910". Science & Society Picture Library.
2. ^ Smith, Marquard (2002). "The uncertainty of placing : prosthetic bodies, sculptural design, and unhomely dwelling in Marc Quinn, James Gillingham and Sigmund Freud". New Formations (46).
3. ^ Wright, Elizabeth (2009). "My Prosthetic and I: Identity Representation in Bodily Extension". Forum: University of Edinburgh Postgraduate Journal of Culture & the Arts (8). doi:10.2218/forum.08.623. S2CID 142733952.
4. ^ Smith, Marquard; Morra, Joanne (2006). The Prosthetic Impulse: From a Posthuman Present to a Biocultural Future. MIT Press. p. 54\. ISBN 9780262195300.
5. ^ "A Distinguished Old Boy - Derrick Warren" (PDF). News Bulletin (43). Old Cerdics Association: 5. September 2021. Retrieved 16 March 2023.
6. ^ a b "Chard Museum to take centre stage in new BBC show". Chard and Ilminster News.
7. ^ "Гений протезов - английский сапожник, который ошеломил медицинский мир (Фото)". Теlegraf.
8. ^ a b c Arbuckle, Alex. "Artificial limbs from 1900 were decades ahead of their time". Mashable.
9. ^ "The Lancet". J. Onwhyn. 7 April 2019 - via Google Books.
10. ^ Campbell, Sophie (15 September 2009). "Somerset's heritage sites: a speedy tour". The Telegraph - via www.telegraph.co.uk.
11. ^ "Gillingham's Artificial Legs". The Lancet. 92 (2358): 607–608. 7 November 1868. doi:10.1016/S0140-6736(02)72122-3. ISSN 0140-6736.
12. ^ "Art and Medicine Bibliography, James Gillingham". www.artandmedicine.com. Retrieved 26 August 2020.
13. ^ Warren, Derrick W. (7 April 2019). James Gillingham: Surgical Mechanist & Manufacturer of Artificial Limbs. Somerset Industrial Archaeological Society. ISBN 9780953353958 - via Google Books.

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