The amputation saw was a major part of any
amputation set. Without one, the set was seriously compromised. The style and
materials used to make an amputation saw are a key part of the detective work to identify
a given set and in many cases to determine the approximate date of manufacture.
Saws from the Civil War era are distinctive in that the handles were
non-metallic and many had a pistol grip shape. The various shapes
are obvious from the saws displayed on this page. |
Amputation bone saw by Tiemann, ivory
handle c. 1850 |
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Amputation bone saw by Tiemann, gutta
percha handle, c. 1880, pitting on the blade. Priced accordingly.
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Plaster cast (not for bone) saw by
Max Wocher, plated, c. 1899, (Listed in Truax and Greene, Chicago, 1899)
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Metacarpel bone saw, after Benjamin
Bell, c.1780 |
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Capital bone saw and metacarpal saw by
V.W. Brinkerhoff, NY |
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Brass and steel capital bone saw c.
1850, by Goulding |
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Dr. Butcher's bone saw, c. 1851
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Amputation saw by Kuemerle, c. 1870
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Amputation saw by unknown maker.
Most likely post 1870 looks like a Gemrig type. Pitting on blade, priced
accordingly. |
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Chain saw, c. 1860, ebony handles, one
detachable for attachment to a carrier needle (shown below) which would be used to thread
the chain around the bone to be cut or resected. The carrier needle (dia. 2")
has an "eye" in the tip for inserting a thread used to draw the chain around the
bone. Saw is in excellent to new condition. |
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A very rare c. 1880 Shrady's saw for
subcutaneous section of the thigh bone. The instrument has an unusual angular handle
cannula with in which the saw blade is drawn back and forth. Marked: Tiemann. See
Tiemann 1889, p. 111, fig. 1636
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Dr. Rust's bone saw, c. 1881
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Amputation bone saw by Teufel, 1860
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Post mortem saw, Coxeter, c. 1860
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Bone saw |
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Bone saw |
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Finger saw |
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Hey's saws which were used for cranial
resection. Above: a later Tiemann Hey's saw and below an 1870 Hey's saw by Kuemerle |
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Amputation saw, English, marked W. H.
Hutchinson, Sheffield, Instrument Maker to the Royal Navy. c. 1850. Handle is
heavily decorated. |
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Amputation saw, Hungary, marked
Fischer, later 1800's |
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Small Amputation saw by Tiemann &
Co., marked in oval on handle. |
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Amputation saw, Paris, Fr., Mathieu,
marked 1881 |
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Amputation saw, Kyn-Sheerer, Germany, c.
1910 |
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Amputation saw, Shepard and Dudley, c.
1870 |
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Metacarpal amputation saw, Shepard and
Dudley, c. 1870
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A c. 1870s lifting-back metacarpal saw
by Shepard & Dudley, New York |
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A c. 1860s capital bow saw by Gemrig,
Pa. |
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