Stereotactic head clamp, Oxford, England, 1973-1978

Made:
1970-1979 in Oxford
Stereotactic head clamp, mid - 1970s

Creative Commons LicenseThis image is released under a CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 Licence

Buy this image as a print 

Buy

License this image for commercial use at Science and Society Picture Library

License

Stereotactic head clamp, mid - 1970s
Science Museum Group
© The Board of Trustees of the Science Museum

Stereotactic head clamp, mid - 1970s. Used for small animals (especially cats), made in Oxford Physiology Department.

Investigations involving the brain, whether animal or human, must be precise and careful. This is so they do not unnecessarily damage the surrounding tissue. This apparatus is known as a stereotactic (or stereotaxic) head clamp. It pinpoints areas of the brain in small animals (especially cats) during laboratory experiments. The University of Oxford, Physiology Department made it and donated it to the Science Museum.

Animal experimentation for scientific and medical research remains controversial. One main argument has been whether the benefits of animal testing ever outweigh the moral issues. The first organised anti-animal experiments or anti-vivisection movements were at their peak in Britain in the 1870s and 1880s. Their actions led to tighter restrictions on who could perform experiments.

Details

Category:
Laboratory Medicine
Object Number:
1997-748
Materials:
steel, metal and plastic
Measurements:
overall: 260 mm x 270 mm x 320 mm, 1.84kg
type:
stereotaxic apparatus
credit:
Physiology Department, University of Oxford