NYMC Artifacts
Donor
Westchester Medical Society
Preview
Identifier
2015.1.2
Date Created
ca. early 1800s
Description
The Thomas perforator was used for craniotomy in either a dead infant (when one tried to avoid a Cæsarean section in the mother) or in a pregnancy with a child who had developed severe hydrocephalus (even in those cases, needle puncture and drainage were preferred). The term "craniotomy", as used in obstetrics, means any operation that effects a decrease in the size of the fetal head for the purpose of facilitating its delivery. It comprises puncture of the fetal skull and evacuation of its contents.
