Surgical shears, Roman, 199 BCE-500 CE

Made:
199 BCE-500 CE in Roman Empire
Surgical shears, bronze, Roman Surgical shears, bronze, Roman Surgical shears, bronze, Roman

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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

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

Buy this image as a print 

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

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Surgical shears, bronze, Roman
Science Museum Group
© The Board of Trustees of the Science Museum

Surgical shears, bronze, Roman
Science Museum Group
© The Board of Trustees of the Science Museum

Surgical shears, bronze, Roman
Science Museum Group Collection
© The Board of Trustees of the Science Museum

Surgical shears, bronze, Roman

Bronze, an alloy of copper and tin, was the metal of choice for surgical and medical instruments in the Roman period. Quite strong and durable, it could be fashioned into effective surgical instruments such as these shears, believed to have been used for cutting through body tissues.

Now corroded, this instrument would once have had a shiny polished surface. Bronze instruments were eventually replaced following the introduction of iron and steel in the 500s and 600s CE. These were stronger materials that gave a better cutting edge.

Details

Category:
Classical & Medieval Medicine
Collection:
Sir Henry Wellcome's Museum Collection
Object Number:
A622585
Materials:
bronze
Measurements:
overall: 10 mm x 120 mm x 23 mm, 0.02kg
type:
surgical shears