Who Invented The First Wheelchair

There have been many attempts to connect furniture to wheels, dating back to 530 bc when the Greeks placed wheels on a bed, creating the first known wheeled furniture. By 525 ad, the Chinese had placed wheels on chairs. However the first recognisable wheelchair was invented for King Phillip II of Spain. A drawing of the King dated 1595 shows him in a chair with wheels, armrests and footrests. However, it was not self propelled, and perhaps had a closer resemblance to a highchair than a wheelchair of today.


The modern wheelchair began to take shape in the late 19th century to early 20th century with the advent of push rims for self-propulsion in 1881, and wire spoked wheels replacing wooden ones in 1900.

The 20th century saw a rapid development in wheelchairs, from the first motorised wheels in 1918, to the first folding wheelchair, built in 1933 by Herbert B. Everest, paralysed in 1919 in a mining accident, and his friend Harry C. Jennings Sr., a mechanical engineer. By the mid 1970s Errol Markheim at Sopur in Germany, Jeff Minnebraker at Quadra in California, and Rainier Kuschall in Europe, had all created lightweight, aluminum, highly-adjustable chairs.

The most recent two decades have seen the progress in the modern wheelchair accelerate. They are lighter and perform better than ever before. There are now many possibilities available to improve the ride, from suspension systems which help to remove vibrations and jolts, to ultra-light weight frames which enable better performance, to special designs for every individualised need and taste.

2007-09-10 05:48:04 by gemstone

A New Zealand company has invented a unique pair of bionic legs that is allowing a paraplegic to walk again, New Zealand television reported. The ...

I've read many misconceptions about universal healthcare. No, it's not perfect, yes sometimes there are waits. But here are some misconceptions and the facts.
MYTH:It takes weeks to months to go see a gp.
Fact: Walk in clinics are everywhere for most of them an appointment is not nessecary. it doesn't take weeks or months at the most a few hours. I've never waited longer than 5 minutes.
MYTH: You can't decide what doctor you want to see.
FACT: You can go see any doctor you wish.
MYTH: The doctors aren't as good.
FACT: They go through intense medical training.
MYTH: There are no medical advancements done in countries with universal healthcare.
FACT: Canada is the county that invented the pacemaker, discovered insulin for dietbedies, we were the first ones to start practicing chemotherepy on cancer patients, Canada was the first country to practice heart surgery by a robot , the ones who invented the electric wheelchair, we discovered the DNA gene for cystic fibrosis...
Those are just a few advancements from one country who has universal healthcare. There are thousands more from other countries as well.

MYTH: You must wait years for every surgery
FACT: Not true, I've known plenty of people including myself that got surgeries that were needed in just a few months. Although there are longer waits on hip replacements. (At least in Canada.)
MYTH: It's too expensive
FACT: The number one cause of bankruptcy in the US is from medical care.
So now that we cleared those up what is so terrible about it?
scottsdalehigh64: I would tend to disagree with your comment about American medical rsearch. Although your country does a lot of wonderful things on research and development, I would suggest you look at the size of your population. For the size of your population I would say you're probably on par with a lot of countries with socialized healthcare.

Canada was the first country to use a robot to reduce strokes in a common cardiac disorder. Canada was the first to use an artificial kidney machine, we discovered the chemotherapy drugs vinca alkaloids, we did the worlds first liver transplant, we were the first ones to finish the human genome map and we were the world’s first robotic-assisted left atrial appendage ligation.

This is just the tip of the iceberg. Plus the UofA might have the cure for alheimers and other forms of dimensia.
Midnightmoons: I can understand that.

What you have to understand about Americans is that they're idiots. They think we can't afford this but they don't realize that ten percent of our military budget for one year could fund universal health care for five years. Our military wastes so much money it's disgusting. People should've listened to Eisenhower when he warned against building an industrial military complex, but they didn't. Now we're screwed.

PS. Have you ever watched one of those documentaries where military officers and R&D guys talk about future wars and the battlefields of tommorow. They still plan for things as if we're in WWII. Peace is not even a thought that enters their brains (it would cost them funding).

2008-04-22 09:48:29 by Laughing all the way

I Got this from a website www.babyandbump.com. I never knew the importance of folic acid as i was ttc and i came across this thread and would just like to copy paste here. And i just want to share it here for every woman ttc please CONSUME FOLIC ACID as it's really important, just read:



You have a very simple choice, but there simply isnt enough information out there to make you aware of it. Most woman wont eat blue cheese when pregnant, wont eat certain fish...drink, smoke because there is a risk to an unborn child... You can't move without the UK government ramming these warnings at you. BUT there is a bigger risk that can nearly always be prevented by a little vitimin.


The sciencey bit
Folic Acid is necessary for the production and maintenance of new cells. It is especially important during periods of rapid cell division and growth such as pregnancy.

Taking folic acid prior to pregnancy helps protect against a number of congenital malformations including neural tube defects (NTDs). NTDs result in malformations of the spine (spina bifida), skull, and brain (anencephaly). The risk of NTD is significantly reduced (95%) when folic acid is taken in addition to a healthy diet prior to and during the first month of pregnancy.

The protective effect of folic acid during pregnancy goes beyond NTDs. Taking folic acid has been shown to reduce the risk of congenital heart defects, cleft palate, limb defects, and urinary tract anomalies. Taking 5mg micrograms of folic acid daily (this is over ten times the dose in prenatal vitimins!!).

Recent research has shown that it is also very important for men who are planning on fathering children, reducing chromosomal defects in their sperm.

What is a NTD?
During the first month of pregnancy the neural tube (the nerves inside the spine) form, and then the spine forms around it like a zipn from head to toe. Spina bifida is when the spine traps some of these nerves (a bit like when your zip gets stuck). The damage caused depends on the level of the trapped nerves. It can be anything from vital organs, to limbs to organ function. The majority of cases involving major organs do not make it to birth.

Those that do not miscarry tend to have varying levels of paralysis in the lower body and loss of control of bowels and bladder. There is a list as long as my arm of associated conditions which tend to go hand in hand, but most notably is hydrocephalus involving the inability to drain fluid from the brain which can never be cured, but is treatable - there will always be a major health risk and involve numerous brain surgeries throughout the person's life.

There is no cure and only luck dictates how your child will be effected.

My child is a lucky one. He may walk with the help of calipers, may face periods of wheelchair use in his life. He will never be able to urinate himself without major surgery which hasnt been invented yet. He will never be able to have a natural bowel movement and may never experience sensation in penis. Everytime he raises a temperature or gets a headache, he may only have 4 hours to live if he doesnt get brain surgery. And every surgery carries risk of infection or death.

Other children will never move any part of their bodies lower than their bra lines, have a bend in their spine that can be up to 90 degrees. Have brain surgery over and over and over and over in their first years of life and repeatedly for the duration of life. The list is endless....

A staggering 95% of all cases of Spina Bifida would not have happened if the mother has taken 5mg of folic acid prior and during the first month of pregnancy... This can only be obtained from your doctor. The usual prenatal vitimin dose is only enough if you have a very good diet and do not have a genetic condition which prevents you from absorbing it (1 in 10 woman!!!)

Is it Worth it??? It is just a little pill with no known side effects
@Bag: By taking folic acid the risk of NTD lower to 75%, I'm so sorry for your daughter though.. I haven't really consume folic acid when i was ttc and didn't have alot of info on it, if i know how important it is i would've consume it religiously.
I just hope more and more people will know. So that there will be LESSER innocent babies suffer NTD again..

:)
@ not a sweetie : Yes that's what i heard to that's why i post this 'question/info' in the Trying to Conceive category, not pregnancy.

"The study published this week suggesting a link between folic acid in pregnancy and subsequent increased risk of childhood asthma is not a randomised trial. It relied on a postal questionnaire with a 76% response rate. The increased risk, if there is any, is only just statistically significant. Asthma is treatable whereas spina bifida is a serious and lifelong condition."

Thanks for that! With my first four pregnancies I didn't know the importance of Folic acid and thought I ate enough food high in it so didn't take it as a supplement. - Each of those pregnancies ended in miscarriage.

Then I read a story in a magazine about a woman who had 14 miscarriages, then started taking folic acid and went on to have two healthy pregnancies. After reading that I thought I'd start taking it and see if it made a difference, sure enough I had a healthy pregnancy and now have a beautiful, healthy 6 month baby girl.

x

2010-01-15 04:11:47 by Portina F