Chinese woodcut: Instruments of petty surgery (8)

Woodblock illustration of surgical instruments/ instruments of external medicine from Waike tushuo (Pictorial Manual of External Medicine), published in 1856 (6th year of the Xianfeng reign period of the Qing dynasty). It shows the laotie (cautery iron), xiao laotie (small cautery iron), jiantou jian (sharp-pointed scissors) and shuang gou (double hook). The cautery iron was heated until red hot, then used to cauterize the affected part. It was employed to treat ulcers and abscesses, ru 'e ('milky moth' - acute tonsillitis), etc.

PICTURE TITLE: Illustrations of various types of surgical knives, scissors and forceps, 8. OTHER LETTERING: Laotie (non-standard graph for tie, cautery iron); jiantou jian (sharp-pointed scissors), the opening faces outwards, made of clean steel; xiao laotie (small cautery iron); shuang gou (double hook).