World’s Oldest Prosthesis – The Mummy’s Toe (ca. 1069 – 664 BC)
Found on the foot of an ancient Egyptian mummy, it appears that a false toe commonly referred to as the “Cairo toe” may have been more than purely decorative – in fact, it may have been the world’s first functional replacement body part! The worn-down false toe was found fastened onto the mummified foot of a middle-aged woman, and it appears that the amputation site of her large toe had healed perfectly during her lifetime – probably allowing her to wear a false toe with some level of comfort, and thus enabling her to walk properly again.
The toe is similar to another ancient Egyptian false toe from the British Museum, which is why both toes were previously thought to have just been cosmetic additions for the wearer without any additional benefits. However, it was recently noticed that the toe from Cairo shows signs of wear and also bends in three places – exactly the same way as any other human’s large toe works.
Alternately, the fake toe from the British Museum does not bend, and was made out of the less durable material called cartonnage, which is a kind of papier-mache made from linen, plaster, and glue. While it also shows signs of wear, suggesting that it was worn during the owner’s lifetime, the fact that it does not bend seems to imply it was used for the sake of appearances only and did not help the wearer to walk correctly.
Tests are planned to determine whether either one of these false digits could actually help someone who was missing their large toe to walk unhindered – if the tests are successful, it will mean that the Cairo toe is officially the world’s oldest artificial body part, beating out a hollow bronze leg from Rome by over a thousand years!
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