From Visual Appearance to Functional Means. Prosthetics in World War I

• Applicant: Privatdozentin Dr. Sybilla Nikolow
• Subject Area: History of Science
• Term: from 2018 to 2022
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 405977393

Prosthetic aids have always served to overcome physical limitations. In their history, however, it was most often about their visual appearance and not their functionality. The thesis of this project is that the eventual paradigm shift in this context has to do with the historical context of World War I, which led to an increase in the production of prosthetics in countries involved in the War. In Germany, where the professional rehabilitation of amputated men was declared a national obligation, the so-called working arm was invented. This was a new type of prosthetic which has since contributed to the debate on war injuries and the relationship between man and technology. For the modern image of the body it represents a turning point which has shaped our understanding of physical disability and normalcy to this day. The focus on this short-lived but significant episode promises new insights into the processes of the mechanization of the body. In order to reconstruct the complex conditions for construction, production and utilization of the working arms, it is suggested to choose an integrative perspective on the history of modern prosthetics. This perspective should take historical aspects (regarding science, medicine, and technology) of the artifacts as well as socio- and cultural historic considerations on the disabled body into account. The analysis is conducted on three levels: first, with reference to practical knowledge that was acquired, developed and applied in the construction, production and utilization of prosthetics; second, regarding the heterogeneous constellation of actors (orthopedists, engineers, mechanics, psycho-mechanics, professional advisers and officials in the medical and welfare services) which, due to the War, formed competitive and cooperative relationships in special military hospitals, training schools, workshops, and committees; third, special emphasis should be placed on the group of those who, as a result of military coercion, have acquired technical knowledge and were subject to normative expectations with respect to their social role.At the end of the project, examples will be chosen and presented in biographies from the large amount of 60 types of working arms that have been developed between 1915 and 1918, and which most appropriately depict the innovation culture of prosthetics in war time. By focusing on the individual role of prosthetics and related discourses and practices, the nexus between science, medicine, technology and society in the first third of the 20th century should be made visible. The artifact- and practice-oriented approach attempts to systematically connect the analytical levels and to explore a new perspective to historical studies of war and post-war societies.

• DFG Programme: Research Grants