Antique Trephine with Turned Ebony T-Handle and Brass Shaft, 19th Century Skull Surgery Instrument

A handsome 19th century trephine, the turned and ribbed ebony T-handle set on a brass shaft above a broad steel crown. Trepanation, the boring of a disc of bone from the skull to relieve pressure after injury, is the oldest surgical operation known to medicine, and the brace-and-crown trephine is its defining instrument. The crown on this example retains a full ring of crisp, even teeth and the brass has a warm untouched surface. A striking and complete piece, and a centrepiece for any medical collection.