London – Camden – British Museum (Early Prosthetic Toe)

This is thought to be one of the earliest prosthetics used in the world, dating to around 1070BC to 664BC and it was found in Egypt. It’s not known whether the person had this toe when they were alive, as it’s possible that it was to fix a little accident caused by the mummification process. There was once something in the toenail bed (is that a proper term?) to recreate the nail, but that has been lost. The item was purchased in 1881 from Rev Greville John Chester, a clergyman who decided he fancied partaking in some adventures in Egypt in the mid nineteenth century.