General Information

Serial #

N/A

Part Number

1

Total Parts

1

AKA

N/A

Patents

N/A

General Description

Pink (flesh tone) moulded polyethylene form; cream-colour leather lining and medium-brown leather protective flap beneath left-side lacing; silver metal hardware (ie. eyelets, etc.); brown cotton (?) string lace. Large rectangular piece of off-white cotton gauze fixed to inside back of corset using masking tape.

Dimensions

Note: These reflect the general size for storage and are not necessarily representative of the object's true dimensions.

Length

42.2 cm

Width

33.2 cm

Height

19.0 cm

Thickness

N/A

Weight

N/A

Diameter

N/A

Volume

N/A

Lexicon

Group

Medical Technology

Category

Assistive technologies

Sub-Category

N/A

Manufacturer

AKA

Ste Justine

Country

Canada

State/Province

Québec

City

Montréal

Context

Country

Canada

State/Province

Quebec

Period

Unknown

Canada

Example of rigid corset custom made for, and worn by, polio suffers in Canada in early 1970s. Corset was probably fitted and mfd. at l'Hopital Ste-Justine in Montreal, PQ where donor Mario Fagnan was a patient.

Function

To protect and provide physical support to the wearer's torso.

Technical

Torso supports were often worn by polio patients, who required physical support for weakened muscles and resulting curvature of the spine. This corset incorporates rigid synthetic materials (plastics) which were moulded to the wearer's form to ensure a perfect fit, and therefore provide maximum benefit. Older supports were made of cotton or other fabrics, re-reinforced with metal: these were bulkier, heavier and capable of limited adjustment. Mario contracted polio in Aug. 1963, when he was 8 yrs. old. He recovered sufficiently to walk with the aid of crutches, leg braces & a corset to support his lower torso. Because of his changing needs, and because he was still growing, these devices had to be changed over time. Worn with underpants 2004.0096.

Area Notes

Unknown

Details

Markings

None evident.

Missing

Appears complete.

Finish

Pink (flesh tone) moulded polyethylene form; cream-colour leather lining and medium-brown leather protective flap beneath left-side lacing; silver metal hardware (ie. eyelets, etc.); brown cotton (?) string lace. Large rectangular piece of off-white cotton gauze fixed to inside back of corset using masking tape.

Decoration

N/A