Brass surgical knife, Syria, 900-1100

Made:
900-1100 in Syria
Brass surgical knife, with steel blade, Syrian

Creative Commons LicenseThis image is released under a Licence

Buy this image as a print 

Buy

License this image for commercial use at Science and Society Picture Library

License

Brass surgical knife, with steel blade, Syrian
Science Museum Group Collection
© The Board of Trustees of the Science Museum

Brass surgical knife, with steel blade, Syrian, of the Arab period

Most of the blade of this ancient surgical knife is rusty and part of it is broken. The steel blade is slotted into a brass handle. The loop at the end may have been used as a finger hole to grip the knife during surgery.

The knife is believed to date from 900-1100 CE, during which period the Islamic world became a major centre for medical study and practice.

Details

Category:
Ethnography and Folk Medicine
Collection:
Sir Henry Wellcome's Museum Collection
Object Number:
A121667
Materials:
metal (unknown), brass, paper (fibre product) and steel (metal)
Measurements:
overall: 15 mm x 100 mm x 23 mm, 0.06 kg
type:
surgical knife
credit:
Hamonic Collection