Even handling an obsidian scalpel takes great care because one can unknowingly cut themselves without pain because the laceration is so fine. Obsidian is used by some surgeons for scalpel blades, as well-crafted obsidian blades have a cutting edge many times sharper than high-quality steel surgical. Under a microscope, an obsidian scalpel divides individual cells in half, while steel scalpel incisions look like they were made by a chainsaw. The smaller the angstrom, the finer the blade.Ī household razor blade (King Gillette produced the first safety shaving blade in 1904) is about 300-600 angstroms, while an obsidian blade is about 30 angstroms. Angstroms are a unit of measurement between atomic planes in a crystal. Obsidian can produce cutting edges many times finer than the best steel… and obsidian blades first produced about 2,500 years ago in Mesoamerica can still cut today. Reusability is cost-efficient, but sharpness produces cleaner and more precise cuts with quicker healing and less scarring. However, obsidian… a type of volcanic glass… has re-emerged. Stainless steel later took over, due to its reusability and resistance to corrosion. Years ago, most scalpels were made of nickel or chromium-plated carbon steel. Other features like shape, balance, uniformity and dependability are critical. After the 1st and 2nd World Wars, the American industry caught up in manufacturing leadership.Īs elective surgery rose to prominence, the individual needs out of a scalpel have morphed and now must meet certain requirements. For a time period, barber-surgeons were prominent in the US, embellishing their scalpels as part of the art of their craft. America historically has always imported knives. Surgical instrument-making, as a profession, was noted in the 18 th century in England, France, Holland and Germany. Roman surgeons relied on armorers who made cutlery for wartime as well. Copper in 3500 BC, bronze and iron in 1400 BC. How the scalpel was made has varied over time.īlades were initially composed of sharpened stones like flint, jade or obsidian, but metal blades replaced them. Interestingly, the shape of the scalpel likely has not changed much over time. Wounds happen on the battlefield while incisions happen in the operating room, so “scalpel” implies security associated with healing. Furthermore, a “knife” can be used by anybody, but a “scalpel” is only used by a surgeon. It is ideal for applications where an extremely fine cutting. If anyone else takes a knife to another person, it’s a criminal attack. Obsidian is a type of volcanic glass that produces a much finer blade than conventional steel. “Knife” connotes danger and is more likened to a weapon associated with mutilation and death. Modern surgeons have embraced the term “scalpel” over “knife”. “Scalpel” comes from the Latin word, “scallpellus”. Hippocrates may have been the first to describe the surgical knife, termed the “macairion”, a smaller version of a Lacedaemonian sword called a “machaira”. Flint knives were used as scrapers to cut through the skull in trepanation. It’s evolved, changing form, to meet our needs.Įvidence of knives used in medicine may be traced to the Mesolithic period around 8000 BC.
The knife is hypothesized to have existed for more than 2 million years, longer than modern humans have walked the Earth. 92: 884, 1993.Amongst the list of the most useful tools in human history, the knife is usually at the top. A blinded histologic review suggested that obsidian wounds contained fewer inflammatory cells and less granulation tissue at 7 days. At 42 days, all wounds were barely detectable, thus precluding scar width analysis. At 21 days, scar width was not different in the two groups. Scar width, however, was significantly less in the obsidian wounds at 7, 10, and 14 days ( p < 0.005). Tensile strength of the two wound types was not different at 7, 14, 21, and 42 days.
#Obsidian scalpel vs steel skin#
Each rat received two parallel 8-cm dorsal skin incisions, one with an obsidian scalpel and the other with a surgical steel scalpel (no. In order to determine if skin incisions made with obsidian were superior to those made with standard surgical steel, wound tensile strength, scar width, and histology were assessed in 40 adult male Sprague-Dawley rats. There are several anecdotal clinical articles claiming wound healing and scar superiority using obsidian (volcanic glass) scalpels.
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