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MAKING THE MODERN WORLD
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Object:Amputation saw, Paris, France, 1750-1800


picture zoom related ingenious images © Science Museum/Science and Society Picture Library

Hacksaw-shaped instrument used for the amputation of limbs by Foucou of Paris. Prior to the invention of antiseptics, amputation was often the treatment of first rather than last resort, to prevent infection spreading through the body from injuries and wounds.

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