Teresa's recent post reminded me of an article I clipped from a magazine a few years ago.  Read on.....

     Once upon a time a boy, because of a permanent injury, was told that he could never walk again.  Necessity being the mother of invention, his family designed a crude pair of wooden sticks to help him get around.  They were designed to fit under his arms and were awkward, but they did help him.  The contraption was called "crutches".
     It was noticed by others that this was indeed a novel idea and a clever invention, so it was quickly adopted by those with temporary and less serious impairments.  It was also noticed that the contraptions had the definite advantage of giving one's legs a rest, so that people who simply tired easily of walking began to use them too.  Crutches became so popular that keen-eyed promoters and manufacturers began mass-producing disposable, ornate, and plain crutches.  Full-page ads boldly exclaimed 'THE MOST LIKE REAL LEGS THEMSELVES.'
     The masses came to believe that crutches and walking were equals.  The popularity of crutches grew with increased propaganda, so that many doctors were even recommending crutches instead of walking in order to prevent corns and calluses, as these were afflictions particular to walkers.  These doctors also felt that anyone with warts or bruises on the legs or feet should stop walking IMMEDIATELY.  Soon doctors were seeing fewer and fewer walking patients; in fact, they rarely saw a walker at all.
      People began to think that one's ability to walk was related to leg size, and the consensus was that it wouldn't do any good to try to walk as "most people can't do it anyway".  Crutches were hailed as a scientific step forward.  Old people remembered walking but were quick to add that they did so by necessity because there was no choice back in their day.
     Legs became sex objects, useless ornaments not to be mentioned in mixed company.  Many people would not walk, because they were afraid the exercise would ruin the shape of their legs.
     The poor refused to walk, even though they could ill afford to alternative devices, because they did not want to be different from the middle class.  The problem became so acute that the government stepped in to provide crutches for as many as they could through extended welfare programs to help the immobile poor.
     Public facilities were designed for crutches, and walkers found it increasingly difficult to get around or be accepted.  The subversives who still walked and advocated it on "natural" or '"therapeutic" grounds were looked upon as primitive and sometimes even obscene.


     Once upon a time a baby was born and because of extenuation circumstances was separated from his mother.  Since no nursing mother could be found to take care of the infant, a contraption was devised whereby the baby could be nourished.  The contraption was called a "baby bottle" ....



Kaye Daly,
LLL Singapore.