Long handled cautery, Europe, undated
- Made:
- Unknown in Europe
This image is released under a CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 Licence
Buy this image as a print
BuyLicense this image for commercial use at Science and Society Picture Library
LicenseLong handled cautery for cauterizing plague buboes
Science Museum Group Collection
© The Board of Trustees of the Science Museum
Long handled cautery for cauterizing plague buboes
Bubonic plague causes enlarged glands or buboes on the neck, groin and armpits. The buboes were cauterised in an attempt to prevent larger buboes forming but it probably did not save many lives. (Cauterisation is the use of heat to burn or remove part of the body.) It was thought that the disease spread from human contact, which is why this cautery has a long handle. Bubonic plague is actually transmitted by fleas on rats.
Details
- Category:
- Surgery
- Collection:
- Sir Henry Wellcome's Museum Collection
- Object Number:
- A629400
- Measurements:
-
overall: 27 mm x 625 mm x 85 mm,
- type:
- cautery
