mystery tool

any one know what this is for? obviously its for drilling holes but in what? the actual cutting part is tapered which leads me to believe it may be for cutting plugs of some sort, in the centre is a solid plug with a square pointed pin presumably to start off the hole , then when started the plug with pin can be removed.

i've a sneaky feeling this may be a medical item due to the material its made from as you can see apart from the cutters it's in very good shape despite it being stored in a damp hut for probably decades.

It’s very late for brain work but I will hazard a guess at it being a medical trepanning tool (for making holes in a skull).

What an accidental pun that was!

Edited By V8Eng on 05/08/2018 00:23:12

Google 'trephine'

**LINK**

Youch. The old term "sawbones" was brutally frank in its summing up of medical surgeons.

pgk pgk , that link needs, in brackets, ( have bowl nearby before opening !).

Surgical history is fascinating. And what is done today will be considered cruel and crude within 100yrs too.

The link below to some of the history of bladder stone surgery is a worth clue to what went on. You can imagine how much pain someone is in to undergo such a procedure without any anaesthetics - particularly when roaming stone cutters would turn up and offer their services to a town... often carrying out such procedures publicaly in the town square, cutting all the patients in one day and then leaving fast before they all started to die.

**LINK**

Edit additional: I once saw practice as a student with a guy who did some of the earliest internal fixation work on cats and dogs circa ww2. He used to fashion his pins from motorcycles from the local scapyard on the grounds that the spokes were less prone to corrosion than other easily got bits....

pgk

Edited By pgk pgk on 05/08/2018 07:58:54

I had a kidney stone that passed and caused an exquisite pain on it journey to the bladder, I never saw it pass to the outside world but I hope to never pass another one. Childbirth is supposed to be painful but most women seem willing to have another go, I am absolutely sure there is no incentive you could offer me to have another kidney stone or even a kick in the gentlmans equipment.

Mike

During the American Civil War a Doctor (saw bones for sure) stated He had arm amputations down to 15 seconds. No anesthetic back then just a slug of Whiskey. OUCH.

Agree with Mike, kidney stones do give plenty of pain, even if they don't get passed, thank goodness prescribed pain killers make it bearable.

Emgee

If I remember rightly from my history lessons Surgeons were very proud of how rapidly they could amputate limbs. Another sign of ability was how well bloodied their apron was.

All that without anaesthetics or anti biotics.

Mike Poole - quite right!

When I was at BA I came down to the foyer to find a Cabin Steward, white faced , kneeling on the floor trying to get some relief from a kidney stone. I organised the medics and by the time I got back to him, he had fainted. A Stewardess, came down the stairs, asked what the problem was and replied with, "Oh, you should try childbirth!" I had to point out that childbirth was, in general, voluntary and frequently repeated. I don't know of anyone who would volunteer for a second kidney stone!! (No matter how it was produced!)

rgds

Bill

I was a coward with my leg coming off; General anaesthetic!

However the physio did come to see me the next day to tell me if I behaved myself I could be out of the bed and walking on crutches by the end of the week. I was eating a chocolate bar I'd bought from the vending machine in the main corridor at the time... I couldn't work out if she was pleased or grumpy when I told her.

This was a little over ten years ago, and I was off work for four weeks. These days the only residual pain is phantom limb syndrome, which I would happily swap for a kick in the gentlemans area any day of the week. Kidney stones you can keep mind.

If you have seen the film Master and Commander, remember the scene with the ships surgeon using one of these tools to cut a disc out of an injured deck hands skull. The shipwright was sitting close by and filing a silver coin to fit and plug the hole....a good film worth watching if you havnt seen it.

Edited By Ron Laden on 06/08/2018 20:47:58

Reminds me of the tale that wifey tells about being given a Zimmer frame on wheels when she was in hospital recovering from a bad break of the leg after a horse riding accident. She started off going up & down the ward so fast that they promptly took it away from her. Spoil sports!

Edited By Bodger Brian on 06/08/2018 20:51:10

Treppanning is a very ancient form of surgery and as you can guess, the most noticeable in pre history context. I have made a Roman drill but do not have a photo, I have specialised in ancient medical instruments, you would be surprised at how advanced there were. One instrument is the cataract needle Acvs as well as the crouching one that is also used,

And also the Clyster,

Enema syringe, using good old castor oil. The list is endless of the amazing engineered equipment they came up with which are still used today.

This a beauifuly made Specvlvm

Used in child birth. From Pompeii 1st AD.

Regards Tony

Edited By Anthony Drake on 07/08/2018 19:39:13