Why do pirates have peg legs?

Answer 1

During the 18th & 19th Century, medicine had not progressed very far. Even with the medical care that was available inland, a pirate or any sailor might be injured while days or weeks out to sea. By the time they could get to help, a life threatening infection had plenty of time to set it. If someone lost a leg, they had to use a wooden crutch. If they lost the lower half of the leg, they could be fitted with a wooden stump. That was all they had.

Answer 2

Not all pirates had peg legs.

The situation in the medical field at the time was such that anyone that received a serious leg injury would have the leg amputated and either have to use crutches to walk with the other leg or get a peg leg made. Thus soldiers, pirates, farmers, etc. might get peg legs following an injury in battle or as a result of an accident.

Without anesthetics or antibiotics all a doctor of the time could hope to do for a patient with a severe leg or arm injury was a quick amputation (many doctors of the time ranked themselves by how rapidly they could complete an amputation, compared to other doctors) followed by fire cauterization of the stump, to prevent gangrene, The patient would usually be screaming the entire time (sometime they were given a soft lead "bullet" and told to bite it hard so they couldn't scream - thus the term "bite the bullet" for someone deciding to do something difficult or unpleasant).

Peg legs were the earliest type of prosthesis or artificial limb. They were much more difficult and uncomfortable to wear than modern prosthesis and could easily cause additional damage to the stump.

Answer 3

It was simply the technology of the times. During the 'pirate era', virtually all ships were made of wood.

Answer 4

No. Only the ones with missing legs.

Answer 5

Well