“There are several anecdotal clinical articles claiming wound healing and scar superiority using obsidian (volcanic glass) scalpels. I realize that this is an old question, but just in case anyone else ever looks at this: Don’t you think the surgeon and the patient should be allowed to make informed decisions regarding the risks and possible benefits of any particular treatment or technique? Still, I would think that the blades can be used safely if the surgeon is aware of the limitations. The reason for the lack of approval/commercial interest and development is for the reason you stated: that the blades lack lateral stability and are prone to shattering if used incorrectly. Green stated in his e-mail that there was an appreciable difference from his experience. I have a feeling that if incisions were made that would typically leave a permanent scar, then there would likely be an appreciable difference. When neither bridge collapses, you can’t say that there is no difference in the structural stability of wood and steel). All it says is that neither scalpel left a scar at the end, which would be an inconclusive result (it would be like having two bridges one made of wood and the other made of steel and putting 1 pound on each. As far as the no difference article, I don’t think that the study has shown that there is no difference. He told me that there weren’t any FDA approved obsidian scalpels on the market to his knowledge and that he uses them at his own risk. From stone and obsidian knives, to stainless steel reusable handles, the surgical scalpel has remained an important tool for ‘surgeons’ throughout human history.Thank for the response. 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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