Amputation has been long used to alleviate both congenital and acquired ailments of the extremities. The Indian poem “Rig-Vieda” is the first written record of an amputation (between 3500 and 1800 BC); it describes a warrior queen who lost her leg in battle and was fitted with an iron prosthesis.1 The majority of amputations in early history were performed for war injuries, legal punishment, and religious sacrifices.2