Object Record
Images
Metadata
Object Name |
Bistoury |
Catalog Number |
1999.43.27 |
Maker |
Snowden & Brother |
Date |
ca. 1865 |
Material(s) |
Wood/Steel/Nickel |
Dimensions |
H-6.5 W-0.5 inches |
Description |
This is a surgeon's bistoury or hernia knife. It has a long slender nickel plated steel blade with a blunt tip. The blade is pinned into a smooth sided wood handle. |
Notes |
A bistoury is a longer, slender scalpel. This one has a blunt end so it could be used in wounds without danger of puncturing vital organs. Used by Dr. Orville B. Yager. Raised in Henry County, Yager worked on the family farm while studying with his physician father. Yager enlisted July 1, 1861 under Breckinridge in General John Hunt Morgan's 9th Kentucky Cavalry, Company G. Yager transferred to General Wheeler's division in 1863. He was wounded three times, and became a Lieutenant . He was discharged on May 13, 1865. An 1867 graduate from the Miami Medical College at Cincinnati, Orville moved to Glencoe, KY in 1869 where he practiced medicine. |
Collection |
Sue M. Bogardus Collection |
Event |
Civil War |
People |
Yager, Orville B. Snowden & Brother |
Subjects |
Surgeons Surgery Surgical instruments |
Search Terms |
Doctor's bag Doctor Confederate Army Civil War |
Physical Holder |
Kentucky Historical Society - KHS |