Bowel Scissors from post-mortem set
Bowel scissors, steel, by Charriere of Paris, 1820-1860
- Materials:
- steel
- Object Number:
- A106316 Pt1
- type:
- bowel scissors and surgery
- Image ©
- The Board of Trustees of the Science Museum, London
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Buy this image as a print
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License
Science Museum Group Collection
© The Board of Trustees of the Science Museum
Science Museum Group Collection
© The Board of Trustees of the Science Museum, London
Science Museum Group Collection
© The Board of Trustees of the Science Museum, London
Science Museum Group Collection
© The Board of Trustees of the Science Museum, London
Science Museum Group Collection
© The Board of Trustees of the Science Museum, London
Science Museum Group Collection
© The Board of Trustees of the Science Museum, London
Science Museum Group Collection
© The Board of Trustees of the Science Museum, London
Science Museum Group Collection
© The Board of Trustees of the Science Museum, London
Science Museum Group Collection
© The Board of Trustees of the Science Museum, London
Science Museum Group Collection
© The Board of Trustees of the Science Museum, London
Science Museum Group Collection
© The Board of Trustees of the Science Museum, London
Science Museum Group Collection
© The Board of Trustees of the Science Museum, London
Science Museum Group Collection
© The Board of Trustees of the Science Museum, London
Science Museum Group Collection
© The Board of Trustees of the Science Museum, London
Science Museum Group Collection
© The Board of Trustees of the Science Museum, London
Science Museum Group Collection
© The Board of Trustees of the Science Museum, London
Post mortem set, almost complete, in mahogany case
Science Museum Group Collection
© The Board of Trustees of the Science Museum
Post mortem set, almost complete, in mahogany case, by Charriere of Paris, 1820-1860
The steel instrument set contains all the equipment needed to carry out a post mortem dissection. The set contains dissecting scissors, a large hammer, saws and knives, a so-called brain knife, three scalpels and three bistouries, which are long surgical knives. Most gruesome of all are the large and sturdy rib shears, for cutting open the ribcage, and the double bladed, curved spine saw. The set was made by the French surgical instrument maker Charrière.
Post mortem or autopsy only came into common practice in the early 1800s. The purpose of post mortem was to find the cause of death and establish whether the physician’s diagnosis when the patient was alive was correct. It also helped physicians to learn more about the internal symptoms and signs of disease. Today, post mortems are commonly associated with forensic science.
Details
- Category:
- Anatomy & Pathology
- Collection:
- Sir Henry Wellcome's Museum Collection
- Object Number:
- A106316
- Measurements:
-
case open: 218 mm x 310 mm x 278 mm, 3.73 kg
case closed: 80 mm x 309 mm x 188 mm, 3.73 kg
- type:
- post mortem set
- credit:
- Loan, Wellcome Trust
Parts
Post-mortem hammer
Post mortem hammer, steel and ebony, by Charriere of Paris, 1820-1860
- Object Number:
- A106316 Pt3
- type:
- post mortem , hammer - tool and surgery
- Image ©
- The Board of Trustees of the Science Museum, London
Post mortem saw
Post mortem saw, steel and ebony with four blades, by Charriere of Paris, 1820-1860, separate handle
- Object Number:
- A106316 Pt4
- type:
- saw , post mortem and surgery
- Image ©
- The Board of Trustees of the Science Museum, London
Knives from post mortem set
3 knives, steel and ebony, by Charriere of Paris, 1820-1860
- Object Number:
- A106316 Pt5
- type:
- knife , surgery and post mortem
- Image ©
- The Board of Trustees of the Science Museum, London
Brain knife from post mortem set
Brain knife, steel and ebony, by Charriere of Paris, 1820-1860
- Object Number:
- A106316 Pt7
- type:
- brain knife and surgery
- Image ©
- The Board of Trustees of the Science Museum, London
Rib shears for use during post mortem
Rib shears, steel, probably French, 1820-1860
- Materials:
- steel
- Object Number:
- A106316 Pt10
- type:
- rib shears
- Image ©
- The Board of Trustees of the Science Museum, London
Case for post mortem set
Mahogany case for post mortem set, by F. Charriere of Paris, 1820-1860
- Materials:
- mahogany (wood) , brass (copper, zinc alloy) and felt
- Object Number:
- A106316 Pt11
- type:
- case - container and surgery
- Image ©
- The Board of Trustees of the Science Museum, London
