The origin of the wheelchair When inquiring about the origin of the development of wheelchairs, I learned that the oldest record of wheelchairs in China is that archaeologists found a pattern of a wheelchair on a sarcophagus around 1600 BC. The earliest records in Europe are wheelbarrows in the Middle Ages. At present, we cannot know the origin and initial design ideas of wheelchairs in detail, but we can find out through Internet inquiries: In the world-recognized history of wheelchairs, the earliest record is the carving of a chair with wheels on a sarcophagus during the Southern and Northern Dynasties (AD 525). It is also the predecessor of the modern wheelchair.
Development of the wheelchair
Around the 18th century, wheelchairs with modern designs appeared. It consists of two large wooden front wheels and a single small wheel at the back, with a chair with armrests in the middle. (Note: The period from January 1, 1700 to December 31, 1799 is known as the 18th century.)
In the process of researching and discussing the development of wheelchairs, it is found that the war has brought a key development space for wheelchairs. Here are three points in time: ① Light rattan wheelchairs with metal wheels appeared in the American Civil War. ②After World War I, the United States provided wheelchairs for the wounded that weighed about 50 pounds. The United Kingdom developed a hand-cranked three-wheeled wheelchair, and a power drive was added to it soon after. ③In the late period of World War II, the United States began to ration a large number of 18-inch chrome steel E&J wheelchairs for wounded soldiers. At that time, there was no concept that the size of wheelchairs differed from person to person.
In the years after the war gradually subsided, the role and value of wheelchairs once again expanded from the use of simple injuries to rehabilitation tools and then to sports events. After World War II, Sir Ludwig Guttmann (S L Guttmann) in England began to use wheelchair sports as a rehabilitation tool, and achieved good results in his hospital. Inspired by this, he organized the [British Handicapped Veterans Games] in 1948. It became an international competition in 1952. In 1960 AD, the first Paralympic Games was held in the same place as the Olympic Games – Rome. In 1964 AD, the Tokyo Olympics, the term “Paralympics” appeared for the first time. In 1975 AD, Bob Hall became the first person to complete the marathon with a wheelchair. First person
Post time: Feb-06-2023