| Reference Number | MIMM/2017-14/14 |
| Title | Metal Tongue Depressor |
| Date | 1900-1949 |
| Creator Name | Fannin, Medical supply company, 1829- |
| Description | This is a metal tongue depressor, created by Fannin & Co. Dublin.
It is made of stainless steel, with a gradual S-shape design to accommodate the shape of the tongue. It's smaller on one end and larger on the other, with the larger side being used to depress the tongue. It has "Fannin" engraved on one side, and "Stainless Steel" engraved on the other side to indicate make and material respectively.
There is minute corrosion present on either side of the depressor, however it is scratched on both sides and has a couple of small dents on the edge of the depressor. It has retained its shape and not been bent beyond its original bowing.
These tongue depressors were used to depress the tongue in order to allow for an unobstructed view of the mouth and throat during examination in order to assess and diagnose a variety of illnesses and disease. They can also be used to apply ointments. Tongue depressors are also commonly made out of wood. |
| Extent | 1 item |
| Dimensions | 165mmx20mmx1mm |
| Digital Collections | View online in our digital collections |
| Copyright | Free to use under the terms of the Creative Commons Licence Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0) |
| Credit Line | Royal College of Physicians of Ireland |
| Object Name | Tongue Depressor |
| Term | Otolaryngology -- instrumentation |
| Physical Examination |