Archibald Young was an
instrument maker in Edinburgh, Scotland from 1803 to 1887 ( Antique Dental
Instruments, A. Bennion). This early set is an example of one which
was either imported or brought back by a new surgeon after being trained in
Scotland.
During colonial times,
the Revolutionary War, and
for many years after the War of 1812, American surgeons were commonly
trained in London or Edinburgh. Typically these surgeons would purchase
surgical sets in the area where they were trained and bring them home when they
returned. It is felt that most likely this set is of that origin as
it came from an estate in Virginia. It is also possible it was used
during the Civil War as it existed before and during the War.
The mahogany case is
lined with blue velvet and measures 16 1/4 x 2 3/4 x 6 1/4 inches. The
hinges have an 1/8 inch extension on the outside of the case which limits the
opening to an upright 90 degrees as compared to cases which open 180 degrees
to a flat position. There is no inscription on the brass plate.
The lock is the typical keyed type.
The handles of the
knives and saw are made of ebonized wood, not pressed horn as would be typical
of later instruments. The handles are bulky, smooth, unchecked, with
bevels on the edges. The blades of the two amputation knives are the
heavy down curved style with blunt tip. The double edge catlin is
somewhat wider than later styles but consistent with this early set.
There are two matching
tenaculum instruments which completely and correctly fit in their respective
slots.
The bone forceps is an
early design with 60 degree side-cutting blades and cross hatched handles.
The metacarpal saw is
almost exactly like a c.1820 saw shown in Bennion, page 21. The
capital saw design precedes the c. 1835 Weiss slotted style saw shown on
page 22 of Bennion. The tourniquet is marked 'Maw, London'
which is not uncommon in an
Edinburgh set.
Dating this set is based
on several factors:
-
The design of the
blades points to pre-1850 with the down turned blade
-
The smooth beveled
edge wood handles are more typical of pre-1840
-
The design of the
metacarpal saw is typical of pre-1830
-
The design of the
capital saw is typical of pre-1930
-
The dates when Young
was active in making surgical saws was pre-1840
Thus, the date of the
set is estimated to be in the 1830's.
