![]() "The incision looks pretty good right now," Dahlin says. He was impressed, in part, by reports that the sharper obsidian causes less scarring. Now the two men are trying to determine whether the glass blades might safely and effectively replace steel for some surgical procedures.ĭahlin, an archeologist at Catholic University here, became intrigued by the research and asked Sheets to make obsidian blades for his surgeon to use for the first cut through his skin. Indeed, obsidian shatters to form edges only 10 molecules thick. Sheets, an archeologist at the University of Colorado, have found that obsidian can be made at least 100 times sharper than most steel scalpels. Hardenbergh, an eye surgeon in Boulder, Colo., and Payson D. From stone and obsidian knives, to stainless steel reusable handles, the surgical scalpel has remained an important tool for ‘surgeons’ throughout human history.When Bruce Dahlin underwent lung surgery here in early December, the operation, while under the most modern conditions, contained an echo from the age of the ancient Aztecs.Īt Dahlin's request, the surgeon made his first cut with a scalpel fashioned from obsidian, a rocky glass from volcanoes that the Aztecs used to make knives and razors.ĭahlin is the first human operated on as the result of an unusual research project that weds modern medicine with archeology and its study of the distant past.įirmon E. To combat scalpel blade injuries, ORs are recommended to combine a hands-free-passing-technique with a single-handed blade removal system, such as Qlicksmart’s BladeFLASK blade remover.Īkin to the wheel, the surgical scalpel is a tool whose simplicity is matched by its usefulness. The use of forceps or fingers to remove scalpel blades is still a shocking trend in hospitals, which can contribute to the 1000 scalpel blade injuries each year. There have been various “safety scalpels” which have been introduced in the past two decades, though surgeons report that they still prefer the stainless steel traditional surgical scalpel. There are over 30 varieties of scalpel blades used, and the B.P handle also comes in various sizes. ![]() Today, surgeons are still using the 2-piece surgical scalpel. Stainless steel took over, as it was a “harder” material which was resistant to corrosion. Most surgical scalpels were made of nickel or chromium-plated carbon steel until around 70 years ago. They were the founder of the Bard-Parker Company, which developed a cold sterilization method to prevent the dulling of blades that occurred during heat sterilization. Scalpel handles are known as “B.P handles”, after Morgan Parker and his business partner Charles Russel Bard. Scalpel blades were most often exchanged with fingers, or other surgical tools such as forceps. Morgan Parker patented the two-piece scalpel with a handle and removal blade in 1915, which provided stability whilst still being able to exchange blades between uses. The modern surgical scalpel with a disposable blade was inspired by King Gillette’s invention of the safety razor in 1904. Surgical instruments were manufactured by cutlery houses, and with poor hygiene conditions, the same knife would be used repeatedly. The Latin word “scallpellus” is where the English word “scalpel” comes from.įor a long time after, surgical knives with one straight edge and the other a sharp, cutting blade were used. Roman medicine followed in the footsteps of Hippocrates, and they were particularly proficient in making cutting instruments. This word is derived from “machaira”, a Lacedaemonian sword from the time. Hippocrates from Greece was the first to describe a surgical knife he called a “macairion”. These blades match skull markings from the same time, suggesting early brain surgeries. These flint knives were used to cut through the skull, though for what purpose historians aren’t completely sure.Īncient Egyptian blades shaped similarly to scalpels have been discovered, and obsidian blades have been found in a Bronze Age settlement in Turkey. There is evidence of knives being used in medicine as far back as the Middle Stone Age in 8000BC. ![]() Read on to discover how the surgical scalpel used today came to be. ![]() The surgical scalpel is a tool that has seemingly transcended time– from its beginnings in the Stone Age to the shiny hospital of the modern era. ![]()
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