Surgical Instruments in Greek and Roman Times Part 29

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-p.r.o.nged 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, coude vulsella; 26, spathomele of elegant form; 27, bleeding cup; 28, three-p.r.o.nged fork.

_Louvre Museum._ Double curette, cyathiscomele, ear probe, stylet with large olivary point, forceps with olivary point.

_Cluniac Museum._ Scoop probe, scalpel.

_Orfila Museum._ All from Herculaneum. Ligula, ear scoop, two raspatories, hook and scoop, scalpel, fork and hook, curette and hook, bodkin.

_Montauban Museum._ (Tarn-et-Garonne.) Large surgical needle, cyathiscomeles (four), spathomele (one), scoop and spatula (steel), epilation forceps (one), four ear specilla, round spatula, bistoury handle, all from Cosa.

_Rouen._ Four epilation forceps, one small forceps with locking arrangement, one forceps with narrow rounded legs, one fine-toothed forceps, twelve cyathiscomeles, three needles and bodkins, twenty styloid instruments, three ligulae.

_Amiens._ Round scalpel handle with spiral lines, one large epilation forceps, one spud and probe, one blunt hook, one styloid probe, two spathomeles, six cyathiscomeles.

MUSEUMS IN BELGIUM.

_Namur._ Find of Surgeon of Wancennes, including ointment slab (Deneffe).

_Brussels._ Mus. de Ravenstein _alias_ Cinquantenaire. etui with silver specilla brought from Italy by M. Ravenstein; three specilla; scalpels.

_Charleroi._ Fine bistoury.

MUSEUMS IN GERMANY.

_Mainz_ (Germano-Roman Museum). Spatula-probe, medicine box, staphylagra, four bleeding-cups.

_Frankfort_ (Historical Museum). Four epilation forceps with sliding catch, two ligulae.

_Kiel._ Forceps of silver.

_Cologne._ Chisel, two forceps, pestle, phlebotome.

MUSEUMS IN AUSTRIA.

_Vienna._ Staphylocaustus.

MUSEUMS IN GREECE.

_Athens._ Six knives (four from tomb in Milos, two from tomb in Tanagra); forceps and porte-caustic, large cup and chain (Tanagra); ex-voto tablet from Acropolis, representing box of scalpels and two cups, twenty-four spathomeles, one trivalve v.a.g.i.n.al speculum.

MUSEUMS IN DENMARK.

_Copenhagen_ (Thorwaldsen). Two epilation forceps, one ditto with leaf shaped ends and catch, three spoon probes, one spatula probe.

MUSEUMS IN SWITZERLAND.

The instruments from the Roman hospital at _Baden_, now in the Baden Museum, have already been summarized (page 22). Instruments in other museums in Switzerland are:

_Basel Augst._ (Augusta Rauracorum). Uvula forceps, probe, spoon-probe.

_Avenches._ Broken uvula forceps, two vulsella, spatula of bronze plated with silver, probes, needle.

_Yverdon._ Probes.

_Bern._ Two probes from Hermance, forceps and spatula probe from Tiefenau.

_Lausanne._ Spoon probe from Bosseaz and Allaz. etui for probes, seal for medicament pots, vulsella.

_Sierre._ Four spoon probes, spatula probe, large needle.

_Schaffhausen._ Probe from Schleitheim.

_Zurich_ (Landesmuseum). A. Fifteen specilla (spathomeles) all with a sharp-edged long and narrow spoon at one end and at the other an elongated k.n.o.b; length 130-160 mm.; seven from Galgenbuck in Albisrieden, seven from Windisch, one from Upper Italy. B. Small bronze instrument probably for extracting weapons from wounds; present length 110 mm. (Naples). C.

Probably a spatula for applying plaster (Athens). D. Ear spoons (three) of bone, 80-130 mm. long (two from Rome, one from Athens). E. Small bronze spatula, 125 mm. (Athens). F. Similar one of bone, 110 mm. (Windisch). G.

Rod pointed at both ends, 155 mm. long (Zurich). H. Bronze rod with a depression 30 mm. long in the middle, 225 mm. long (Windisch).

MUSEUMS IN ITALY.

_Naples._ Bleeding-cups (fourteen), spoons with bone handles (two), lancet and spoon, shears (bronze), fleams (veterinary), cannulae for ascites (two), bone elevators (two), catheter (one male, one female), bone forceps, specula uteri, trivalve and quadrivalve, speculum ani, toothed forceps, cauteries (three), needles, tongue tie guard, enema tube, probes, whetstones, etui, scalpels, medicament boxes, balances, ointment slabs.

_Rome, Capitoline Museum._ Curved double olivary probe, four spathomeles, four cyathiscomeles, thirty-six forceps toothed and plain, bodkins (four) eight cm. in length, three ear specilla, four ascites tubes, large scalpel, votive tablet with box of instruments.