Medical Antiques > Medical Therapeutic Instruments

French Amputation Saw RARE 18th Century

Item#: MET535

Price: $1250.00

 

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This is a rare French saw used by surgeons for amputation of limbs. The saw has an original 26 cm (10 inch) fine-tooth reversible blade under tension in a frame and with a long ebony handle. The stylized frame is made from iron and the screw has a beautiful clover shape. Saws from the pre-sterilization era are distinctive in that the handles were non-metallic and many had a pistol grip shape. This handle has an octagonal cross section, dating the entire saw to the early 1770s Prior to the invention of antiseptics, amputation was often the treatment of first rather than last resort, to prevent infection spreading through the body from injuries and wounds.