Surgical Tweezers (2019.06.009)
Dublin Core
Title
Surgical Tweezers (2019.06.009)
Subject
Nebraska State Tuberculosis Hospital, Artifact, Dr. Burton Bancroft, Surgical Tweezers, Long serrated angled tweezers
Description
Metal angled surgical tweezers. Object is silver metal colored and shiny, and still functions as it should. Object has two handles that you can squeeze to close the tweezer's tips.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: There is information about Dr. Burton Bancroft in the Frank Museum archives, as well as in the paper accession record. AW ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ These specific type of tweezers are known as Wilde forceps (sometimes also known as Troeltsch forceps), which are mainly used for ENT procedures, which are procedures involving otorhinolaryngology, or the head and neck, most commonly the throat, nose, or ears. A major advantage of these types of tweezers is they allow a better view of the operating area then traditional tweezers. Tweezers are sometimes known as “spring forceps”, since they are made from a single (sometimes two but rarely more) piece of metal which relies on the tension from bending it to shape so it can spring back into shape after release. The name “tweezer” comes from the French name for the case that carried the device, called a “étui”, meaning small case. As far back as predynastic Egypt (3100 BCE), various records and artifacts of the time point towards craftsmen using tweezers, perhaps to catch and pick lice. Even by the time of the Roman Empire, tweezers were widely used, but whether these early tweezers were used for medical or grooming purposes is anyone’s guess. Tweezers specifically for dissection would appear in the late 1700s, while tweezers specifically for surgery would appear in the 1800s. Information gathered from: Safeton (https://safeton.com/blogs/news/why-include-tweezers-in-your-first-aid-kit) The MET Museum (https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/449602) The National Library of Medicine’s collection from the Royal College of Surgeons of England (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2502851/pdf/annrcse01604-0070.pdf) Newmed Instruments (https://new-medinstruments.com/dressing-and-tissue-forceps/troeltsch-wilde-ear-dressing-forceps.html). Information compiled by Logan Osmera.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: There is information about Dr. Burton Bancroft in the Frank Museum archives, as well as in the paper accession record. AW ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ These specific type of tweezers are known as Wilde forceps (sometimes also known as Troeltsch forceps), which are mainly used for ENT procedures, which are procedures involving otorhinolaryngology, or the head and neck, most commonly the throat, nose, or ears. A major advantage of these types of tweezers is they allow a better view of the operating area then traditional tweezers. Tweezers are sometimes known as “spring forceps”, since they are made from a single (sometimes two but rarely more) piece of metal which relies on the tension from bending it to shape so it can spring back into shape after release. The name “tweezer” comes from the French name for the case that carried the device, called a “étui”, meaning small case. As far back as predynastic Egypt (3100 BCE), various records and artifacts of the time point towards craftsmen using tweezers, perhaps to catch and pick lice. Even by the time of the Roman Empire, tweezers were widely used, but whether these early tweezers were used for medical or grooming purposes is anyone’s guess. Tweezers specifically for dissection would appear in the late 1700s, while tweezers specifically for surgery would appear in the 1800s. Information gathered from: Safeton (https://safeton.com/blogs/news/why-include-tweezers-in-your-first-aid-kit) The MET Museum (https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/449602) The National Library of Medicine’s collection from the Royal College of Surgeons of England (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2502851/pdf/annrcse01604-0070.pdf) Newmed Instruments (https://new-medinstruments.com/dressing-and-tissue-forceps/troeltsch-wilde-ear-dressing-forceps.html). Information compiled by Logan Osmera.
Date
ca. 1950s
Contributor
For all objects in accession # 2019.06: Doctor's bag, medical equipment, medicine, and other items all originally belonged to Dr. Burton Bancroft who came to Kearney is 1956 and was the first trained surgeon in the community, according to John Bancroft- Dr. Burton Bancroft's son who found the the doctor's bag in a closet. The bag contained all of the items within accession record #2019.06. Dr. Bancroft occasionally provided aid to patients at the Nebraska State Hospital for Tuberculosis in Kearney, NE.
Still Image Item Type Metadata
Original Format
Metal surgical tweezers
Collection
Citation
“Surgical Tweezers (2019.06.009),” Museums and Material Culture (Fall 2023), accessed October 1, 2024, https://mail.unkpublichistory.reclaim.hosting/items/show/362.