Hook, blunt

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Ingenium, 2002.0878.004
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OBJECT TYPE: OBS-GYN/two-ended
DATE: 1850–1900
ARTIFACT NUMBER: 2002.0878.004

MANUFACTURER: Unknown
MODEL: Unknown
LOCATION: Unknown

More Information

General Information

Serial #: N/A
Part Number: 4
Total Parts: 9
AKA: N/A
Patents: N/A
General Description: silver metal

Dimensions

Note: These reflect the general size for storage and are not necessarily representative of the object's true dimensions.

Length: 31.0 cm
Width: 5.2 cm
Height: 1.8 cm
Thickness: N/A
Weight: N/A
Diameter: N/A
Volume: N/A

Lexicon

Group: Medical Technology
Category: Instruments
Sub-Category: N/A

Manufacturer

AKA: Unknown
Country: Unknown
State/Province: Unknown
City: Unknown

Context

Country: Canada
State/Province: Unknown
Period: Presumably used c. 1850- 1900.
Canada: Part of a large collection of medical artifacts, archival material & trade literature transferred to CSTM in 2002 from the former History of Medicine Museum, Toronto, ON. These instruments belonged to Dr. Herriman, one of the first three medical graduates of Queen's University. [Ref. 2]
Function: Blunt hook: to extract the head or the trunk [of an unborn fetus]. Also used to alter the position of the fetus as well as to hasten the delivery of a breech birth. Crochet: to grab hold the base of the skull [of an unborn fetus] for extraction.
Technical: Regarded as instruments of last resort, the hook & crochet were among those tools used by a midwife or physician to extract an unborn dead baby, or terminate the child's life in utero if it could not be delivered without threatening the life of it's mother. Blunt hook- In difficult cases, extraction of the head or the trunk [of an unborn fetus] was made possible by inserting the blunt hook around the neck or under the shoulder respectively. They were also used to alter the position of the fetus as well as to hasten the delivery of a breech birth. Often used in combination with crochet. Crochet- A steel hook with a sharp pointed end. After the initial breaking of the fetal skull with a perforator, the crochet was inserted into the cranium to grab hold the base of the skull for extraction. Both crochet and blunt hook were essential for the practicing obstetrician in the late 1600 to late 1800. The pointed end of the crochet could be used to hook into the head, eye socket, shoulder bone, or any part accessible.
Area Notes: Unknown

Details

Markings: None evident, save UHN catalogue no. "976.6.50 k" printed by hand in white ink on handle.
Missing: Unknown.
Finish: Silver metal.
Decoration: N/A

CITE THIS OBJECT

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Unknown Manufacturer, Hook, blunt, circa 1850–1900, Artifact no. 2002.0878, Ingenium – Canada’s Museums of Science and Innovation, http://collection.ingeniumcanada.org/en/item/2002.0878.004/

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