#tonsil guillotine

[lovebizarreoddities]

Tonsillotomy

The tonsil guillotine was used to remove the tonsils, located deep in the back of the throat. As the hand contracts and the two arms are brought together the blade is pushed forward to detach the tonsil, much like a standard guillotine.

The procedure was quite barbaric often times causing infection that sometimes would result in death.

[lovebizarreoddities]

Antique/early medical items available at lovebizarreoddities.etsy.com

Some items included are;

Vintage Pharmacy Amber Bottle - Tincture of Merthiolate

Bottle measures 3 inches tall and has little content inside. First Aid Antiseptic, for external use only.

Tincture of Merthiolate is a mercury-containing substance that was once widely used as a germ-killer and a preservative in many different products, including vaccines. Merthiolate poisoning occurs when large amounts of the substance are swallowed or come in contact with your skin.

Antique Pharmaceutical Oil Croton POISON Bottle w/ Content

Croton oil is an oil prepared from the seeds of the tree Croton tiglium, native or cultivated in India and the Malay Archipelago. Small doses taken internally cause severe diarrhea.

Also added are various medical instruments such as syringes, speculums, and guillotines.

[lovebizarreoddities]

Various old surgical tools added to our shop!

lovebizarreoddities.etsy.com

[emporiumoftheextraordinary]

Tonsil Guillotine (1860's)

This clever little device removed a patient's tonsils much like that of it's traditional head-slicing counterpart, by slicing off the infected tonsil. This "double guillotine" design allowed doctors to slice off both tonsils at once. Sound too good to be true? Well it is, due to inaccurate slicing and high rates of hemorrhaging by left over bits of tonsils, the guillotine was replace by forceps and scalpels in the early 20th century. 

Bummer.