2. General Surgery

1. Paquelin’s thermo-cautery: c. 1850, used to
cauterize and occlude open wounds and
bleeding tissues.
a. Platinum point attached to hollow metal
tube.
b. Bottle containing benzene.
c. Methylated spirit lamp.
d. Double bellows.
2, 3. Two caustic holders, c. 1800, lignum vitae.
The “caustic” material was a corrosive
substance (such as Argentums nitrate, acid
or base, corrosive salts, etc.) used to enhance
the formation of granulation tissue or treat
unwanted tissue growths.
Development of Surgical Forceps
The function of surgical forceps is to grasp and
hold. They have been used in the past and even now
to extract foreign bodies (such as splinters, bullets
and arrows), to handle tissues and later to grasp
blood vessels in order to tie (ligate) or cauterize
them. At the end of the 18th century, surgeons
started to use forceps to hold sewing needles.
4, 5. Two forceps, the classic thumb or spring
forceps: better known as “tweezers” (known
as such since the Babylonian era). The first is a
surgical forceps, c. 1700, with the option of
using it as a handle for other screw-in devices.
The second forceps, c. 1650, has a director at its
base. The surgeon could alternate between
ends without additional instruments.
6. A cross-legged “common forceps”: c. 1750.
7. A tenaculum : c. 1700. These hook-like
instruments were used to hook and pull out
large bleeding blood vessels for tying (ligation),
since they were too large to cauterize. See
woodcut on page 141 of Ambroise Paré on the
battlefield tying a bleeding artery of a soldier’s
amputated leg.
8. A classic Assalini type forceps: c. 1810, the
toothed side was used as a double-tenaculum to
grasp the bleeding vessel before ligating it
(tying or occluding it with a thread).
9. A combination Assalini type forceps: c. 1810.
The toothed side was for ligating bleeding
vessels. The other end was used as a blunt
forceps.
10. An early Chariere’s locking, combined torsion
and suture-holding forceps: c. 1830.
11. An early Liston’s fenestrated “bulldog”
forceps: c. 1820–1850, used mainly to grasp
bleeding vessels for ligation.
12. A 1790, sliding-slot Benjamin Bell’s forceps
and 18th century double forceps (tweezers).
13. A combination pin and pinion catch double
jaw forceps-needle holder: 1880. One side
maintains the fenestration of a tissue and
vessels forceps and the other, a blunt, flat
surface for the sewing needle.

14. A combination toothed tissue and needleholding
forceps: 1950.
15. Two large Chariere’s locking forceps to be
used also as needle holders (Fricke’s locking
forceps), 1835 and 1915.
16. Two surgical needle cases with needles:
c. 1900. Most of the needles are curved, like
those used in sails, facilitating the suturing of
two edges on the same level.
17. A rare single surgical needle in its individual
sterile glass tube: c. 1920.
18. A very rare biodegradable “Catgut”: c. 1910,
dissolvable sterile thread in its glass tube
filled with alcohol. The upper specimen
shows an eyeless needle ready to be threaded
with catgut. The next is a tube of chromicized
catgut (to retard its absorption) and the
large tube contains a reel of catgut.

19. Human hair surgical thread and sewing
needle: 1950.