Historical Medical Instruments

Medical instruments have been found dating back to the days of the Ancient Romans and Greeks. Surgical tools were discovered at the excavation of the ill-fated Roman town of Pompeii, according to the University of Virginia website. By collecting such devices and comparing them with more modern instruments, historians are able to put together a time line of medical history, with each instrument representing the beliefs and practices of the period it originates from.

Cupping Vessels

• Devices that allowed for bloodletting were common at the time of the ancient Romans, according to the University of Virginia website. Such devices typically appeared in two sizes, with the larger of the two being applied to areas such as the thighs. Smaller cups could be used to let blood from a person's arms.

Lister Spray

• Named after the London physician, Joseph Lister, who developed the idea of the "asepsis" of wounds after observing how gangrene and other medical problems developed from contaminated wounds, "Lister Spray" was a carbolic solution designed to eliminate germs during surgery and other procedures. As described on the Museum of Historical Medical Artifacts website, it was typically stored in a brass boiler unit, complete with handles and spray jets at one end, used to administer the solution. Though the solution was far from perfect and caused irritation in patients, the concept of asepsis was soon achieved by more advanced methods.

Obstetrical Hooks

• Referenced by the medical historians of ancient Greece, hooks were used in surgery and filled similar roles to modern instruments such as aneurism needles, which are used to raise blood vessels. Meanwhile, ancient surgeons would use sharpened hooks to pierce the skin in order to retrieve pieces of tissue and to manipulate the fringes of wounds, as described by the University of Virginia website.

Pulse Timer

• In the early 1900s, modified sand glasses were used in order to measure the pulse rates of patients. Since most physicians agreed that a sensible amount of time for a pulse check was roughly 15 seconds, as much longer would cause undue distress to the patient, the glass was fitted with an appropriate amount of sand to allow for an exam of this length, as noted by the Museum of Historical Medical Artifacts website.

Leech Jar

• As described by the Collect Medical Antiques website, the use of leeches as a method of bloodletting dates back as far as 100 B.C. and the practices of Syrian doctors. Each leech would be allowed to feed from the patient until full. Afterward, special leech jars, typically made of porcelain or glass and often decorated, would be used to store the leeches until a few days had passed, in order for the leeches to do their work again.