Page 633, extracted from Illustrated London News 13/11/1915: "Replacing lost limbs: Marvellous artificial arms and legs" [Rowley leg, Hanger leg and Carne (more commonly called Carnes) arm]
Production date
1915
Production organisations
Illustrated London News
Labels
By the end of the First World War, over 40,000 British men had experienced some form of limb loss, including 11,600 cases of lost arms. This resulted in a major expansion of the limb-making industry, leading to Roehampton House being established in 1915 - a hospital specifically for amputee ex-servicemen. In the same year, limb-making companies were invited to Roehampton House for the International Exposition of Artificial Limbs.
One of the companies awarded a contract was the Carnes Artificial Limb Company. The War Office, later the Ministry of Pensions, paid limb makers for prostheses and recommended a price of around £8 8s for an above-the-elbow artificial limb. However, the Carnes Arm was recorded as costing £40, a significant increase from the basic prices suggested.
The higher cost was due to its advanced design, featuring a bending elbow, rotating wrist, and grasping fingers. It was also made from metal, at a time when prosthesis were typically made from wood. As a result, it was typically issued to officers, particularly those who could afford to supplement the allowance provided by the government, earning it the nickname the “officer’s arm.” This created a disparity in the support soldiers received upon their return from the war, highlighting the role wealth played in access to prosthetic care.
Furthermore, it could be argued that prosthetic development at the time prioritised productivity over rehabilitation, reflecting contemporary attitudes towards disability. Advertisements for the Carnes Arm reinforced this, stating that it "puts you on the payroll" and helped men avoid “public dependency” by returning to industrial work.
Despite its initial popularity, the Carnes Arm was criticised for being heavy and complex. Some literature suggests that by the early 1920s, its use had declined, and it had become obsolete by the Second World War.
