Catlin - Surgical Instrument

[lelliott19]

The Catlin (also known as catling or interosseous knife) is a double-bladed surgical knife which was used to cut the tissue between two adjacent bones during a resection or amputation operation.

The muscles, vessels, and nerves lodged in the interosseous spaces still remain to be cut; their division is to be accomplished by carrying the catling between the bones...Pass the knife from above so as to divide the interosseous membrane for the extent of an inch....then carry the knife below the limb, pass it transversely through the anterior interrosseous space, and using it like a bow, make the cutting edges act alternately upon the tibia and fibula, so as to divide as much as possible the included parts; then turning it around one of the bones, enter it again through the posterior interosseous space to complete the division of the remaining fibres....

Images from: http://www.medicalantiques.com/civi...tein_&_Son_c.1861_USA_Hosp_Dept_field_set.htm
Medical Procedure info from: https://books.google.com/books?id=ycg1AQAAMAAJ&dq=interosseous+knife+use&source=gbs_navlinks_s - p. 166

 

[bdtex]

Oftentimes used with little or no anesthesia available and the instrument being wiped "clean" with an unsterile rag between surgeries.

 

[Anna Elizabeth Henry]

Oftentimes used with little or no anesthesia available and the instrument being wiped "clean" with an unsterile rag between surgeries.

It's a sheer miracle anyone survived such procedures. I remember being in the ER once and this man was screaming his head off like he was being stabbed to death when they were putting IV on him. It made me think Civil War medical procedures and what those men endured. Though, I will say our ancestors were hardy people to be sure!

 

[James N.]

Expired Image Removed

Markings on a Philadelphia specimen I purchased last fall, though I had the impression there was a G at the end; here's a link to the thread I posted showing additional pictures: http://civilwartalk.com/threads/a-catling-a-civil-war-period-amputation-knife.127829/

 

[Deleted User CS]

View attachment 125014
The Catlin (also known as catling or interosseous knife) is a double-bladed surgical knife which was used to cut the tissue between two adjacent bones during a resection or amputation operation.

The muscles, vessels, and nerves lodged in the interosseous spaces still remain to be cut; their division is to be accomplished by carrying the catling between the bones...Pass the knife from above so as to divide the interosseous membrane for the extent of an inch....then carry the knife below the limb, pass it transversely through the anterior interrosseous space, and using it like a bow, make the cutting edges act alternately upon the tibia and fibula, so as to divide as much as possible the included parts; then turning it around one of the bones, enter it again through the posterior interosseous space to complete the division of the remaining fibres....
View attachment 125015
Images from: http://www.medicalantiques.com/civi...tein_&_Son_c.1861_USA_Hosp_Dept_field_set.htm
Medical Procedure info from: https://books.google.com/books?id=ycg1AQAAMAAJ&dq=interosseous+knife+use&source=gbs_navlinks_s - p. 166

The above surgical instruments are generally called liston knives which are named after the well known Scottish surgeon Robert Liston who had the nickname as the "fastest knife in the West End of London" He developed these surgical knives as a means of amputating limbs of a patient in a very quick and efficient manner in order for the patient to feel as less pain as humanly possible. Of course he developed these surgical instruments prior to the invention of any anaesthetia. There is a very interesting book written by Robert Gordon about Dr. Liston and his surgical instruments. By the way, I was very lucky to purchase a full surgeon's kit, like the one shown above, many years ago from an antique shop in Philadelphia. David.

 

[UCVRelics]

I promised myself I would never look at any more of your CW surgical instruments but I couldn't help it.

 

[lelliott19]

I promised myself I would never look at any more of your CW surgical instruments but I couldn't help it.

Its like a train wreck isn't it? You know it's gonna be bad, but you cant look away!

I hope everyone is enjoying learning about the surgical instruments of the Civil War. I plan to post one each week until I run out of instruments, at which time I'll start posting a "medical procedure" or treatment each week. You can probably look forward to those too - they'll probably be even better than the instruments!