Page:The making of a man (1902).pdf/36

 sockets heretofore made. The improvement is so marked that the wonder is we did not make the change earlier. Much of the weight on the stump is taken just where the socket was previously made to open, and it was necessary to reinforce the lacing with a strap. When laced in the back of socket the front is stronger, more comfortable, and dresses more smoothly; furthermore, there is more shrinkage of a stump in the calf than in front; and in being able to make the adjustment in the back part of the socket, it is kept nearer the shape that will conform to the shape of the stump than when laced in front. This socket is illustrated in the various engravings representing legs for below the knee amputation. See frontispiece, No. 204, No. 227 and No. 228.