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The Jaipur Foot, a low-cost artificial foot of rubber and wood made in India since 1968, lets people who have lost a leg walk barefoot, squat and sit cross-legged.

Science Museum / Smithsonian

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The story behind the card

It was designed in 1968 in Jaipur by P. K. Sethi, head of orthopaedics at Sawai Man Singh Medical College, and Ram Chandra Sharma, a local craftsman. Imported artificial feet were expensive and made for people who wore shoes and sat on chairs; they did not let wearers go barefoot, squat, sit cross-legged or work in muddy fields, all part of daily life for many poorer Indians. The Jaipur Foot has a wooden ankle and a rubber core under a vulcanised rubber skin shaped like a real foot. It costs about 45 US dollars to make and lasts roughly two to five years. The charity Bhagwan Mahaveer Viklang Sahayata Samiti (BMVSS) fits it free of charge, with financial help from the Indian government.

Türkçe oku
Hindistan'da 1968'den beri kauçuk ve ahşaptan yapılan ucuz bir protez olan Jaipur Foot, bacağını kaybetmiş insanların yalınayak yürümesini, çömelmesini ve bağdaş kurmasını sağlar.

Jaipur Foot'u 1968'de Hindistan'ın Jaipur kentinde iki kişi tasarladı: Sawai Man Singh Tıp Fakültesi'nde ortopedi bölümünün başındaki P. K. Sethi ve yerel bir usta olan Ram Chandra Sharma. İthal protez ayaklar pahalıydı ve ayakkabı giyip sandalyede oturan insanlara göre yapılmıştı. Yalınayak yürümeye, çömelmeye, bağdaş kurmaya ya da çamurlu tarlada çalışmaya izin vermiyorlardı; oysa bunlar Hindistan'daki yoksul insanların çoğu için gündelik hayatın parçasıydı. Jaipur Foot'un ahşap bir bileği, kauçuk bir çekirdeği ve bunları saran, gerçek ayağa benzeyen vulkanize kauçuk bir kaplaması vardır. Üretimi yaklaşık 45 dolara mal olur ve iki ile beş yıl dayanır. Bhagwan Mahaveer Viklang Sahayata Samiti (BMVSS) adlı hayır kurumu, Hindistan hükümetinin mali desteğiyle bu protezi ücretsiz takıyor.

Sources and further reading

Background reading: Jaipur foot
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