Chain osteotome bone saw - photo

**Altair** · Mar 19, 2021, 09:51 PM

Chain osteotome from the 1800s.

Fullsize image: https://s3-us-west-1.amazonaws.com/h...w_fullsize.jpg

Previously:

Bone rongeurs - photo
1800s surgical skull chainsaw - photo
Bow frame amputation saw - photo
Jawbone drill - photo
Surgeon's plate and screw kit for repairing jaws - photo

**mklotz** · Mar 20, 2021, 09:08 AM

That one deserves five stars in the catalogue of frightening surgical devices. I'm pleased to see that it has a full set of stops and guides; wouldn't want to saw through anything that was still needed by the patient.

Most surgical kits from the latter part of the nineteenth century contained a bone saw that looked very much like a modern hacksaw. That seemed to work well enough for the time which makes me wonder what requirement drove the development of the pictured device.

**Drew1966** · Mar 20, 2021, 04:34 PM

Originally Posted by mklotz

That one deserves five stars in the catalogue of frightening surgical devices. I'm pleased to see that it has a full set of stops and guides; wouldn't want to saw through anything that was still needed by the patient.

Most surgical kits from the latter part of the nineteenth century contained a bone saw that looked very much like a modern hacksaw. That seemed to work well enough for the time which makes me wonder what requirement drove the development of the pictured device.

The problem with the frame saws (“hacksaw”) was the room needed to use it. A modern version can be use during keyhole surgery.