Marking Surgical Instruments

19^th May 2023

Seeing the initials of notable surgeons on instruments gives us a tangible connection to their work and legacy. Handling the skin grafting knife that Gillies alone used in countless procedures or the toothed forceps McIndoe palmed when treating airmen puts us right in the operating theatre with them.

The BAPRAS Collection has instruments with a variety of identification marks, each giving the instrument a historical context and testifying to the personal choice of the surgeon. Surgeons would purchase their own instruments, selecting a style and quality which suited them. Marking your instruments by having your initials engraved was essential to avoid loss, and anyone else using them. But it was not always undertaken professionally, as for Gillies and McIndoe. See ‘JS Goss’ and ‘RLGD’, whose initials are etched in a rudimentary way.

As NHS practice and resources became more standardised and centralised, instruments were procured by hospitals, then cleaned and sterilised by specialised teams. Instruments were now purchased using departmental budgets and so keeping track of them was even more vital. Many of our instruments have ‘PTH’ hastily scratched onto them, probably to ensure this equipment was returned to ‘Plastics Theatre’. Hospitals and departments gradually began using coloured tape to mark their instruments as belonging to particular specialties rather than individuals. The tape is often applied by certified instrument specialists who ensure it does not compromise safety. Today hospitals are moving towards laser etching, undertaken by manufacturers, as way of identifying instrument ownership. Efficient yes, but a lot more impersonal, losing that connection to the individuals.

Although the markings on these objects are simple and is some ways trivial, they give us the opportunity to highlight some of the instruments we have in the Collection. To consider a surgeon’s personal inscription on well-used and familiar tools evokes their work, professional lives and impact upon the specialty.

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