Surgical Instruments in Greek and Roman TimesMilne, John Stewart
History
Surgical Instruments in Greek and Roman Times
Milne, John Stewart
Surgery -- History; Surgical instruments and apparatus
The _British Museum_ contains the following (Case ii. B):
Bleeding cup (No. 2313); collyrium spoon with spout (two, Nos. 2314-5);
staphylagra (two, Nos. 2316-7); hook, sharp (No. 2318); ditto blunt, i. e.
retractor (No. 2319); forceps (No. 2320); two-pronged retractors (Nos.
2322-6); scarifier (No. 2327); knife, steel (No. 2321); scalpel handles
(Nos. 2331-9); spathomeles; cyathiscomeles; spatulae; ligulae; ear
specilla; aneurism needle (No. 2372); epilation forceps (narrow), ditto
(broad), ditto ditto with catch.
The Guildhall Museum contains a good few instruments found in London,
amongst others a considerable number of ear specilla, vulsella, lancets,
and numberless instruments common to both domestic and surgical use, such
as strigils, ligulae, styli, and needles. The Celtic cutting instruments
are of interest for comparison. This collection is in many ways one of the
most interesting we have in England.
The museum at Shrewsbury contains several surgical instruments from the
ancient Roman city of Uriconium on which Wroxeter now stands. The most
interesting is a bleeding lancet. There are also styli and an ointment
slab and the seal of an oculist.
The museum at Chesters, Northumberland, containing finds from the Roman
camps at Cilurnum, Procolitia, Borcovicus, and other sites on the Roman
Wall, contains amongst other things hooks, spatulae, bougie, a triangular
medicine weight of tin, forceps, needles of bone and bronze, borers, knife
blades, ear specilla, steelyard, counterpoises, many in the form of snakes
and therefore, perhaps, for pharmaceutical purposes, the serpent being the
symbol of Aesculapius.
MUSEUMS IN FRANCE.
_Saint-Germain-en-Laye._ Outfit of Severus, viz. two iron pitchers, four
bowls, mortar, two balances, seven forceps, one spathomele, scalpel
handle, ditto damascened, spatulae (two), two knife-and-needle handles,
four needle handles, olive-and-needle, scalpel-handle-and-borer, three
sharp hooks, blunt and sharp hook, small blunt hook, seal. Also four
scalpel handles, forty forceps, four pocket companions with forceps, fifty
bodkins and needles, thirty-three ligulae, fourteen spathomeles, thirty
cyathiscomeles, twelve olivary probes.
_Le Puy-en-Velay._ Outfit of Sollemnis, viz. two knife-handles, ditto
damascened, amulet, fragments of two forceps, seal, spathomele.
_Paris._ Private museum of M. Tolouse. Instruments from the grave of the
Surgeon of Paris--Large bronze bowl which contained:
1, Marble slab for preparing ointments; 2, amulet of black obsidian; 3,
bronze ointment box with silver damascening; 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, five
cylindrical boxes for collyrium sticks; 9, 10, two buckles; 11, pharyngeal
insufflator; 12, collyrium spoon; 13, 14, 15, three spathomeles; 16, 17,
probes; 18, polypus forceps and scoop; 19, 20, epilation forceps; 21, 22,
vulsella (toothed); 23, staphylagra; 24, 25, coudé vulsella; 26,
spathomele of elegant form; 27, bleeding cup; 28, three-pronged fork.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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