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General |
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Illustrations of Arabic Dental Extraction |
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19th C French Plates with Dental Illustrations |
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Two old pages (I am researching the
date) with beautifully ornate illustrations of dental surgery as
practiced in what looks like the 1700s. The first page is exquisitely
gilded with gold leaf which the scanned pictures do little justice.
It shows a dental surgeon wrestling to extract a tooth with
some form of dental forceps. The second shows the surgeon using a
crude bowstring drill with other dental instruments laid at his
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Six delightful examples of late 19th C
French flatware with a humorous depictions of the agonies of dental
extraction done in fine artwork. Three of the plates are damaged and have had "museum
repairs" but they are rare and very collectable pieces and remain
a very attractive ensemble. They are numbered 1,2,3,6,10 and 11 and
would have been part of a larger set. The inscriptions read: "Quel
courant d'air!!!" "La nuit est assez agitée" "Il se couche inquiet"
"Sur trois qui restent deau fendues et une
gâtée" "Cett fois
c'est la bonne" and "C'a Y est!!!" |
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Ivory and Tortoise-Shell Tongue Scraper |
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Masticator in Etui by Aubry |
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In
Victorian times after a heavy night out it was common
practice to clean the tongue with a tongue scraper.
This example is made from a flexible band of
tortoise-shell with ivory handles. In the resting
position it is flat but would have been held between
thumb and index finger of each hand and used in a
U-shape. It is in perfect condition. |
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A French masticator to aid the chewing
of food in the elderly and edentulous. This is a remarkably well put
together instrument; the metal is steel and the handles are I think
horn. The teeth are held together in the resting state by a sprung
clip which secures the ends of the handles. Signed on the inside of
one handle "Masticateur Carrier" and on the other "A Aubry Bd. St
Michel 6. Paris Brevete". It packs away in a typically French
etui. I doubt you will see a finer masticator. |
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Late 19th Century Dental Scaling Set |
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A dental de-scaling set from the late
19th C complete with its original mirror lined with red and white
trim. The mother of pearl handle screws onto seven different tools,
the stems of which are decorated with a beaded design. The hinge and
latches are firm and secure. There is a partitioning silk lined card
which protects the mirror from the instruments. |
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Forceps |
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Jeweled Dental Forceps 1850 (Sherwood) |
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Dental Forceps after Dubs 1848 (Evans) |
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A remarkable set of dental forceps by
Sherwood of Cincinnati dating to 1850. The pivot of the forceps have
been set each side with with a red coloured stone, either ruby or
garnet. A similar type of forceps, but
without jewels are shown by Arnold 1850 on page 60 in Bennion's 'Antique Dental Instruments'. The craftsmanship is superb with right and left sided
forceps built and ornately engraved to the highest standard. Bejeweled dental
tools are exceptionally rare and occasionally seen in the
presentation sets with ivory handles. This is the first example I
have seen of jewels set in a steel instrument |
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Forceps similar to a pair from 1948 by
CH Dubs shown on page 59 in Bennion's 'Antique Dental Instruments'
and displayed in the Macauley Museum of Dental History S Carolina. A
central telescopic screw extends and is held secure with the blades
allowing the root to be tapped. Sadly all before the advent of the
anaesthetic. This set of forceps is marked M Evans who was an
American instrument maker in the Civil War Period. |
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18th Century Dental Forceps |
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18th Century Small Dental Forceps |
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A pair
of 18th century forged steel dental forceps from
Amsterdam. The piece is signed on the handle " Jacob
". Dimensions 140 mm x 15 (handle width) x 6 mm (bite) |
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A pair
of 18th century forged steel dental forceps from
Amsterdam. Unsigned. These are long but have a very
narrow bite and may have been used for paediatric
dentistry. Dimensions 145 mm x 12 (handle width) x 3
mm (bite) |
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Pelicans |
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Early Dental Pelican with Screw
Mechanism |
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17th Century
Douglas Lever |
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This is a rare and important dental
pelican dating to the late 16th or early 17th century with an
adjustable pivoting arm which can be raised or lowered by turning a
key linked to a screw mechanism anchored by a central frame. The
distal end of the fixed arm has attractive cross-hatching consistent
with the period. The shape of the screw head is also characteristic
of pieces from the late 16th century. There are only minimal signs
of corrosion and the threads of the screw mechanism are intact and
clean and the instrument in perfect working order. |
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An extremely rare 17th century dental
pelican which combines dental forceps and elevator and was referred
to as a "Douglas Lever". Such mutli-purpose instruments are seldom
seen and this is only the third such example of which I am aware.
Bennion cites one of similar function dating to 1620 in 'Antique
Dental Instruments' and there is one in the archive section of
Alex Peck's site. This is a beautifully made piece
constructed to the highest standard and unusually for an instrument
of this age it is signed "I Hall". Note the style of the I and the A
in keeping with its 17th century origins. |
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Tooth-keys |
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19th C Tooth Key With Handle Mechanism |
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19th C Ivory Tooth Key (Charriere) |
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An unusual dental key with an
ingenious handle mechanism. Pressure on the metal lever over
the handle causes the clasp to rotate the hinged claw against the
bolster. This allows the clasp to secure the root of the tooth
without needing to rotate the tooth key. The handle is elevated by a
steel spring which keeps the clasp extended in the resting position.
The handle is made from rosewood and has an ivory inset on one side
for orientation. Unsigned but high build quality and an extremely
rare dental instrument, of French origin. |
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A very fine dental tooth key from the
the renowned 19th century French medical instrument make Charriere.
The handle is made from elephant ivory (Schreger
lines are clearly visible). The key itself detaches from the
hand by means of an attractively carved catch which allows the key
to be rotated into North, South, East or West positions and held
firmly in place. More commonly made from wood or bone it is rare to
find a signed ivory example in such good condition. |
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Horn Paediatric Tooth Key |
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Mechanical Antique Dental Tooth Key |
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An
antique dental tooth key dating to the early 19th
century. The handle is made from horn. The shaft and
claw are from tempered steel. This instrument is tiny,
measuring only 10.5 cm in length and would have been
used for paediatric dental extractions. |
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A
rare ebony handled antique dental tooth key which has
a mechanism allowing the claw to be turned with the
introducing hand. The instrument dates to the early
19th century and is of Dutch origin. It is signed J
Pohl 's Hage. |
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Early 19th C
Ivory Tooth Key |
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A beautiful dental ivory tooth key
with engraved crosshatching and concentric lines dating to the early
or mid 19th century. This is almost certainly of English origin but
it is not signed.
The handle is made from elephant ivory (Schreger
lines are clearly visible). The steel key itself detaches from the
handle and can be rotated through 90 degrees allowing the dentist
either to work with the other hand, or from different angles. There
is a small chip at one end of the handle and a few hairline cracks
in the ivory in keeping with its age but otherwise the instrument
remains is in excellent condition. The handle is secured with a
sprung steel catch which allows the shaft to click smoothly and
firmly in place in each position, as does the sliding mechanism on
the shaft which lowers a pin to secure the claw. |
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