General Sickles' leg, which was replaced by a Palmer leg, on display at Walter Reed.
Item 67 is The Palmer Leg and Arm, adopted for the U.S. Army and Navy, by the Surgeon-General... B. Frank Palmer was a maker of prosthetic devices, and evidently quite expert. This 1865 book contains numerous illustrations and testimonials, including one from controversial Union General Daniel Sickles, who lost a leg in the Civil War due to some of his own incompetent decisions. Sickles' shipped his amputated leg to Washington and reportedly visited it frequently. It was placed on display (and it still is) at Walter Reed hospital. Sickles is also noted for shooting and killing the son of Francis Scott Key, writer of "The Star Spangled Banner," for being too affectionate with his wife. He was acquitted on the grounds of temporary insanity, though his career might suggest that his insanity was more than temporary. $150.
