Doll wearing a Denis Browne-type splint/harness, England, 1940-1960
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This doll is one of a number used at the Lord Mayor Treloar Orthopaedic Hospital, in Alton, Hampshire, England, to show parents, and in some cases children, the treatment the child will undergo. Founded in 1908, the hospital was originally opened to provide specialised treatment for children with orthopaedic conditions, mainly caused by tuberculosis and, later, polio. A Denis Browne-type splint/harness is applied to the hips to help correct hip dysplasia – which is usually diagnosed only in young babies. It occurs when the top of the leg bone is not properly located in the hip socket or not located where the hip socket is expected to develop. The splint is named after its inventor, Sir Denis Browne (1892-1967), an Australian paediatric surgeon.
Object number:
2002-377
Related Themes and Topics
Glossary:
Glossary: teaching doll
No description.
Glossary: tuberculosis
An infectious disease that is caused by a bacterium first identified by Robert Koch in 1882. The disease usually affects the lungs first, and is accompanied by a chronic cough.
Glossary: polio
An infectious disease affecting the central nervous system. Affected individuals can exhibit a range of symptoms if the polio virus enters the blood stream.