Mouth Speculum - Davis-Boyle, circa 1950

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Summary:: Used circa 1950. According to Dr Herbert Bauer, this speculum may have been used with a mouth guard. The device prevents the mouth from being closed. It may be used for examining inside a patients mouth or possibly for force feeding food. This is an example of oral medical equipment used at Victorian psychiatric hospitals
Description:: Davis-Boyle's mouth speculum is an L-shaped strip of chrome-plated steel. The horizontal arm is a tongue depressor, curved-up slightly, ridged and rounded at the end. An open-ended anaesthetic pipe is soldered beneath it. This bends out and up at the end to sit upright beside the right angle of the "L". It bulges into a tiny gum-nut shape at the end. The vertical arm has an indented finger-grip halfway up and is hooked over at the top.
Acquisition Information:: Donation from Not Recorded

Discipline:	History
Dimensions:	28 mm (Height), 145 mm (Width)

Tagged with:	medical apparatus instruments, psychiatric hospitals
Themes this item is part of:	Psychiatric Services Collection, Medicine in Society Collection, Public Life & Institutions Collection
Primary Classification:	MEDICINE & HEALTH
Secondary Classification:	Mental Health - Clinical
Tertiary Classification:	equipment
Place & Date Used:	Victoria, Australia, circa 1950
References:	card with exhibit. Down Bros and Mayer & Phelps Ltd. "Surgical Instruments, Appliances and Hospital Equipment". London 1955.