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Timeline of Prosthetic and Artificial Organ Technology
 600 B.C.E.Found on the foot of an Egyptian Mummy, this Prosthetic toe is believed to be the first functional prosthetic body part in the world. It is made of bronze and leather and was found strapped onto the foot of a mummy who may have suffered from diabetes. (Image 2, Citation 2) |  300 B.C.EFound in Capua, Italy, the bronze Roman Artificial Leg is said to be the world's first prosthetic limb, dating back to the early 300s B.C.E. It was on display at the Royal College of Surgeons in London but was destroyed during World War II. A copy is pictured. (Image 3, Citation 3) |  1509Goetz von Berlichingen, a German knight, lost his right hand in a battle. He replaced it with an iron prosthesis with jointed fingers that could hold his sword. (Image 9, Citation 9) |
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 1529Ambroise Par é, a French Barber Surgeon, introduced amputation as a lifesaving measure in medicine. (Image 16, Citation 16 |  1696Dutch surgeon Pieter Adriaanszoon Verduyn developed the first below-knee prosthetic that allowed for knee movement and developed one of the first “true flap amputations. (Image 19, Citation 19) |  February 10, 1863Dubois L Parmelee of New York City achieved the first successful attempt at fastening a body socket to the limb with atmospheric pressure. (Image 14, Citation 14) |
 1865Civil War Veteran Samuel Decker builds his own prosthetic arms after losing them in combat. (Image 9, Citation 9) |  1943Doctor Williem J Kolff develops the first dializer, or artificial kidney. It is on display at the museum of Borhaave in the Netherlands. (Image 12, Citation 12) |  December 1, 1948Brothers Donald, left and Paul Holmen of Holmen Laboratories measure irises on plastic eyes on the "Multi-Cyclops" roundtable. The eyes are so life-like that the pupils, by a cunning optical illusion, dilate in subdued light and contract in sunlight. They are custom made to match patient's eye color and consist of 30 to 60 layers of liquid plastic. (Image 10,Citation 10) |
 1975Ysidro M. Martinez, an amputee himself, took a different design approach to prosthetics rooted in theory instead of mimicking anatomy. His prosthesis design featured a high center of mass and light weight to facilitate acceleration and deceleration, increased control, and reduced friction. (Citation 18, Image 18) |  December 2, 1982Barney Clarke, a Seattle dentist, becomes the first human recipient of an artificial heart at the age of 61. (Image 7, Citation 7) |  1985Dr. Graeme Clark performs the first Cochlear Implant procedure to be done on children. The ten and five year old boys were able to hear after their lifetime of silence. (Image 4, Citation 4) |
 July 3, 2001Robert Tools becomes the first man to recieve a self-contained mechanical heart, known as AbioCor, The artificial heart is run by a battery pack and computerized control unit from within the body. These two units control pumping and, for the first time, can adjust the heart rate according to a patient’s level of activity. (Image 1, Citation 1) |  September 11, 2006Claudia Mitchell, at the age of 26 becomes the first woman to undergo surgery for the Bionic Arm, a prosthetic controlled by thoughts. (Image 18, Citation 18) |  June 9, 2011An artificial windpipe created from the patient's own stem cells was implanted into a 36-year-old man with late-stage tracheal cancer at Karolinska University Hospital in Stockholm. (Citation 13, Image 13) |
 December 12, 2012A Stanford team develops the first artificial self-healing skin. After being cut, the team's polymer was able to restore most of its mechanical and electrical properties in 15 seconds. (Image 11, Citation 11) |  December 20, 2013The first Carmat self-regulating artificial heart is received via transplant by a Paris patient. It mimics heart muscle contractions and contains sensors that adapt the blood flow to the patient’s moves. (Image 5, Citation 5) |  May 5, 2014Dr. Xiangrong Shen, assistant professor of mechanical engineering in the UA College of Engineering, was awarded the NSF CAREER award to assist his innovative work into biologically-inspired, powered prosthesis that mimic natural joints. (Citation 15 Image 15) |
 July 16, 2014The Freedom portable driver was approved by the FDA for use with the SynCardia temporary Total Artificial Heart as a bridge to transplantation in cardiac transplant candidates who are clinically stable. The 13.5-pound Freedom driver can be carried in a backpack, shoulder bag, walker or a rolling backpack. (Image 8, Citation 8) |  February 10, 2015The FDA approves a clinical trial for an "Artificial Kidney." The Wearable Artificial Kidney is a mini-dialysis machine that can be worn on the body like a toolbelt, attatched via catheter. It is able to filter the blood of those whose kidneys have stopped working while running on battery power. (Citation 6, Image 6) |
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