Marcus Sergius was a
Roman general during the
Second Punic War (218 to 201
BC). He is famed in
prosthetics
In medicine, a prosthesis (plural: prostheses; from grc, πρόσθεσις, prósthesis, addition, application, attachment), or a prosthetic implant, is an artificial device that replaces a missing body part, which may be lost through trau ...
circles as the first documented user of a prosthetic hand. The metal hand was constructed to allow him to hold his shield in battle.
A description of Marcus Sergius is found in the seventh book of
Pliny's ''Natural History'', published in AD 77:
:''Nobody - at least in my opinion - can rightly rank any man above Marcus Sergius, although his great-grandson
Catiline
Lucius Sergius Catilina ( 108 BC – January 62 BC), known in English as Catiline (), was a Roman politician and soldier. He is best known for instigating the Catilinarian conspiracy, a failed attempt to violently seize control of the ...
shames his name. In his second campaign Sergius lost his right hand. In two campaigns he was wounded twenty-three times, with the result that he had no use in either hand or either foot: only his spirit remained intact. Although disabled, Sergius served in many subsequent campaigns. He was twice captured by
Hannibal - no ordinary foe- from whom twice he escaped, although kept in chains and shackles every day for twenty months. He fought four times with only his left hand, while two horses he was riding were stabbed beneath him.''
:''He had a right hand made of iron for him and, going into battle with this bound to his arm, raised the siege of
Cremona, saved
Placentia and captured twelve enemy camps in
Gaul
Gaul ( la, Gallia) was a region of Western Europe first described by the Romans. It was inhabited by Celtic and Aquitani tribes, encompassing present-day France, Belgium, Luxembourg, most of Switzerland, parts of Northern Italy (only during ...
- all of which exploits were confirmed by the speech he made as
praetor
Praetor ( , ), also pretor, was the title granted by the government of Ancient Rome to a man acting in one of two official capacities: (i) the commander of an army, and (ii) as an elected '' magistratus'' (magistrate), assigned to discharge vari ...
when his colleagues tried to debar him as infirm from the sacrifices. What piles of wreaths he would have amassed in the face of a different enemy!''
References
Pliny
Sergii
Roman Republican praetors
Ancient Roman generals
Roman commanders of the Second Punic War
Amputees
Year of birth missing
Year of death missing
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