| Reference Number | MIMM/2017-14/22 |
| Title | Braun's Decapitating Hook |
| Date | 1900-1949 |
| Creator Name | J. Clarke & Co., Belfast, fl. late 19th - early 20th century |
| Description | This is a decapitating hook, Braun's type, and made of plated metal. It has a long shank with a cuved hook that culminates in a rounded tip. The handle has an octagonal central section with "J. CLARKE & CO." engraved on it, with "BELFAST" engraved below that. On each side of that octagonal section are rounded finger grips.
The hook is bent slightly to the right, and also has heavy corrosion. The shank has moderate corrosion that is concentrated on the backside of it, with moderate corrosion also present on the handle.
These decapitating hooks were used in embryotomies, which is the removal of fetal tissue after miscarriage or abortion. |
| Extent | 1 item |
| Dimensions | 310mmx85mmx45mm |
| 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 | Surgical Hooks |
| Term | Obstetric Surgical Procedures |
| Abortion, Induced |
| Abortion, Spontaneous |
| Gynaecology -- instrumentation |
| Obstetrics -- instrumentation |