| Reference Number | MIMM/2017-5/56 |
| Title | Set of Hegar Dilators |
| Date | 1900-1949 |
| Creator Name | Holborn Surgical Instruments Co. Ltd.; 1870-1955; surgical instrument makers |
| Description | This set comprises 16 of the 18 dilators, housed in a roll-up canvas case.
The dilators are round, slightly curved metal rods of increasing diameter, each with a conical tip and a number.
Some of the dilators are engraved with “Holborn of London” alongside the number.
The canvas case is stained, and the dilators show signs of corrosion. Dilators numbered 1 to 3 are missing.
These types of dilators were designed by German gynaecologist Alfred Hegar in 1879 to treat genito-pelvic pain disorder. Typically, the number on a dilator corresponds to its size in millimetres. |
| Extent | 1 item |
| Dimensions | 440mm x 300mm x 5mm (roll-up case) |
| 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 | Vaginal Dilator |
| Term | Dilatation and Curettage |
| Obstetrics -- instrumentation |
| Gynaecology -- instrumentation |