Types of Bladesīased on the surgeries, location of an incision and usage there are various types of blades with different sizes and shapes which are labeled with numbers. The list of blades commonly used are described below.Įach of them has a compatible BP Handles. BP Handles are also numbered based on their size.
Modern evolution has polymer, chromium and diamond coating to improve the sharpness of the blade. In the recent times alloys are used to manufacture the blades such as stainless steel as it has a higher resistance to corrosion. It was from then, Bard-Parker (CR Bard was a medical instrument supplier) handle was manufactured in a large scale and used widely in all surgeries. In 1900’s Morgan Parker introduced the principle of disposable blades could be used with a reusable handle. The concept of Asepsis and sterilization led to more changes in the material and structure of the scalpel. The similar instrument was named as “ Scallepellus” by the Romans which was modified into the present-day word that we use as a “ Scalpel”. In 400 BC, Hippocrates described the first scalpel in surgical use as a “ Macairion”. Gradually in 3000 BC metal such as copper, bronze and iron were used as blades after sharpening their edges. Their edges were modified sharp using various techniques. The first recorded circumcision was carried out using stones such as jade and flint. In Neolithic times trepanation - or drilling a hole into the skull - was thought to be a cure for everything from epilepsy to migraines.Table 1.
It could even have been a form of emergency surgery for battle wounds.īut while there is still conjecture about the real reasons behind the mysterious procedure, what is known is that the implement often used to carry out the primitive surgery was made from one of the sharpest substances found in nature - obsidian. Obsidian - a type of volcanic glass - can produce cutting edges many times finer than even the best steel scalpels.Īt 30 angstroms - a unit of measurement equal to one hundred millionth of a centimeter - an obsidian scalpel can rival diamond in the fineness of its edge. When you consider that most household razor blades are 300-600 angstroms, obsidian can still cut it with the sharpest materials nano-technology can produce.Įven today, a small number of surgeons are using an ancient technology to carry out fine incisions that they say heal with minimal scarring.ĭr. Lee Green, professor and chair of the Department of Family Medicine at the University of Alberta, says he routinely uses obsidian blades. "It makes for the best cosmetic outcome." "The biggest advantage with obsidian is that it is the sharpest edge there is, it causes very little trauma to tissue, it heals faster and more importantly it heals with less scarring," he said. He explained that steel scalpels at a microscopic level have a rough cutting edge that tears into tissue, a function of the crystals that make up the metal. Obsidian, meanwhile, cleaves into a fine and continuous edge when properly cut.ĭr. Green said he once helped documentary makers produce a program on surgical technology in ancient Egyptian, setting up a blind test on the cutting power of obsidian.
#Surgical obsidian scalpel skin
Using cultured-skin burn dressing, a substance composed of skin cells, he made an incision with a modern scalpel and a parallel incision with an obsidian scalpel. The host of the program was then invited to look at the cuts under a video microscope and tell the difference. "Under the microscope you could see the obsidian scalpel had divided individual cells in half, and next to it the steel scalpel incision looked like it had been made by a chainsaw." "It wasn't hard to tell the difference at all - as soon as he turned around everyone in the studio was like 'Ohhh'," Dr. Modern obsidian scalpels look nothing like the decorative flint-knapped knives of Neolithic man, often resembling their modern counterparts in everything except for the blade edge, but Dr. Green said they are a very different animal.
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