Cranioclast
notes: label: Description
content: A cranioclast is designed to crush the head of a fetus, to facilitate delivery in difficult cases. This form of the instrument was associated with the Scottish obstetrician, James Young Simpson (1811-1870). An inscription on this example reads “GEMRIG / PHILA.” Jacob S. Gemrig was a German-born cutler who emigrated to the U.S. ca. 1830, settled in Philadelphia, and became an important surgical instrument maker. At some point his son, John H. Gemrig, joined the business.
label: Description
content: Ref: Geo. Tiemann & Co., The American Armamentarium Chirugicum (New York, 1879), p. 113.
label: Location
content: Currently not on view
place: label: place made
content: United States: Pennsylvania, Philadelphia
setName: label: See more items in
content: Medicine and Science: Medicine
creditLine: label: Credit Line
content: The Medical and Chirurgical Faculty of the State of Maryland
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: National Museum of American History
identifier: label: ID Number
content: MG.302606.097
label: accession number
content: 302606
label: catalog number
content: 302606.097
objectType: label: Object Name
content: Cranioclast
label: Object Name
content: cranioclast
physicalDescription: label: Physical Description
content: metal, steel (overall material)
label: Physical Description
content: wood (overall material)
label: Measurements
content: average spatial: 34 cm x 5.8 cm x 2.5 cm; 13 3/8 in x 2 5/16 in x in
label: Measurements
content: overall: 1 3/4 in x 13 1/4 in x 2 1/4 in; 4.445 cm x 33.655 cm x 5.715 cm