The Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery 1956....

Delving into the history and functions of walking sticks, one stumbles across a number of amusing and interesting pieces that perhaps others may enjoy.

Such as this one, by Blount, Walter P. in The Journal of Bone & Joint Surgery 38(3):p 695-708, June 1956.

The article was poorly scanned so has required some translation from the original online version.

"As the causes of premature death are conquered year by year, everybody is given a longer life in which to grow old gracefully. In the twilight years that his forefathers rarely knew, he needs help in seeing, hearing, chewing, and walking. Gradually we are coming to look upon eye glasses, hearing devices, and dentures as welcome aids to gracious living rather than as the stigmata of senility. They should be accepted eagerly as components of a richer life. The cane, too, should be restored to favour as a means of preventing fatigue and a faltering gait, rather than maligned as a sign of deterioration.

If the patient’s injured there is a nice distinction between the permissible use of a stick postoperatively and the adoption of this humble support for other reason than the relief of a slight physical infirmity. A fat lady may waddle like a duck when she laboriously walks a few-steps, but she resents the suggestion that she carry a cane. She would look much better with a stick than with the limp; and with support she could walk enough to get some exercise. More walking would help with weight reduction; but no! she is not ready for a cane yet!

The patient with residual disability after poliomyelitis and with a fatiguing, unsightly lurch needs a cane. Early degenerative hip disease may require no treatment other than weight reduction and a stick in the opposite hand; however it takes an impressive orthopedic surgeon to sell the idea.

Pride is not always the major obstacle. There is no place for the stick in modern society. Man rarely walks. He rides in a car or on a bus. The buses are crowded, and there is scarcely room in the modern car for the occupants to sit upright, without adding a stick. Your grandfather proudly rested his hands on the knob of a cane as he was driven behind good horses. He stepped out briskly with his stick at the end of the ride. Now man must limp between buses without benefit of a cane.

How our attitude toward the cane has changed! Earliest man demonstrated his superiority to the beasts by carrying a stick in order to beat them off. The staff became a spear. The soldier leaned on the shaft when tired. The shepherd enjoyed the support of his crook. The artist and the cartoonist have given us the history of the cane. In the Egyptian tombs of the Sixth Dynasty(2830 BC) the crude staff was illustrated. The stick gradually became a popular accessory that served many purposes. The nobleman struck at stray dogs and cudgeled his slaves if they did not bow low enough. The cane became a symbol of power arid aristocracy. Officialdom appeared with a mace or crosier. A jaunty stick was carried by man arid woman alike at the race track and at the watering place.

Following the publication in 1827 of the delightful medical biography, The Gold-Headed Cane, no well established doctor appeared in public without this symbol of his profession. The. smooth polished stick was provided at the top with a hollow gold knob or crossbar containing aromatic vinegar. The man of science held this to his nose so that the fumes might protect him from the exhalations of the sick person. The cane descended to the doctor from Hermes or Mercurius, and, until our generation, it was as much a symbol of the healing art as was the caduceus. Now the doctor, as well as the patient, would rather suffer great discomfort than the indignity of carrying a cane. The advertisements of fifty years ago rarely depicted a stylish person without a cane."

Note that some of the views expressed in this article do not reflect those of NZ Walking Sticks or Carey

Walter Putnam Blunt

Walter Putnam Blount (1900 – 1992) American Orthopedic Surgeon.

Extensive work on Erlacher-Blount syndrome, also known as Tibia Vara. One of the first surgeons to recognize fractures in children as a possible symptom of abuse.

Pioneer in the development of the Milwaukee Brace for treatment of scoliosis. Designed the Blount Staple used in treatment of unequal leg length as an alternative to osteotomy