The man with an iron hand from the 16th.century Götz von Berlichingen

Kimmo Huosionmaa

I always wonder, how the ancient mechanic prosthesis was working, because of the swords from the 16th. century was quite heavy. Also, men who used them were very strong, and the hits were also very powerful, what makes the problems with the prosthesis. If the touch were not strong enough the sword would fly away, and that means that the prosthesis must be made also by using strong material. The machinery inside the prosthesis should also be strong, and when we are thinking, that the hand and fingers have been amputated, would there be some other way to use the fingers than grip and winch, what would use the fingers like pliers. In modern prosthesis is a computer, servo-motors and Bluetooth connection to the human nervous system, and that makes possible to use machine prosthesis, but those equipment have not existed in the 16th. century. So how those men used their prosthesis is an interesting question.

German knight Götz von Berlichingen (c.1480-1562), from 16th. century used iron hand prosthesis. He was born in 15th. century, but here I'm writing about the man, who was born in 15th. century, as the "man from 16th. century", because most of his career was done at 16th. century.  This prosthesis made that man famous, and he also invented the phrase "kiss my ass".  This is not writing about the life of that knight, what is a very interesting tale. The life story is in the link below the text, and here I'm going to write about this mechanic prosthesis, what is a very interesting part of his life. When we are thinking about the prosthesis, what allowed to use swords, we must realize, that most of those prostheses were only the iron sleeve, what was pulled over the arm for protecting it. With those iron made sleeves were used swords, what was connecting to it by using welding.

Those iron sleeves were used wealthy and handicapped persons, and if the user was a wealthy man, there was grip inside the tube, what allowed the man keep better touch for this equipment. Those iron sleeves were simply, and they were allowed to use only the sword. But the hand, what was made for Götz von Berlichingen was more advanced and complicated. There was one little thing, what is creating an interesting question about this technical equipment. How this knight closed the fingers of this mechanical prosthesis?

Modern intelligent prosthesis operates with BlueTooth or some other wireless connection, what would communicate with the microchips, what are implanted to the nerves of the hand. Or in other version is, that the prosthesis is connected straight to the brains by using microchips, what is installed on the brain core in the area, what controls the movement of the arms and legs. Those microchips operate by using wireless technology, and they can also deliver the feelings of the sense of touch.  The prosthesis is equipped with piezo-crystals, what would send the touch to the computer, what decodes it to the chip, what would stimulate the brain core.

But this equipment is brand new technology and this kind of stuff was not able to get in the 16th. century. This prosthesis is very interesting because they were not manufactured even in the Second World war, and I haven't heard that even colonel Claus von Stauffenberg's class officers had that kind of things in use. Stauffenberg was the man, who bought the bomb in the room, where Hitler stayed in 1944, and that officer was very famous because he had the arm prosthesis. And there were not mentioned, that this man had the mechanical prosthesis. But I always wonder, where the knowledge to make this kind of mechanical arms forgot, what  Götz von Berlichingen used in 16th. century. Those things are a very interesting part of history, and they are causing many questions, like what other technical miracles we have forgotten in history.

Sources:

https://www.warhistoryonline.com/instant-articles/german-knight-who-survived-50-years-of-war-with-a-mechanical-arm.html