The Spatula Mundani was a surgical device invented in the 17th century by the London surgeon James Woodall to treat extreme cases of severe constipation where purgatives had failed.[1] Woodall believed that the cause of this malady was from scurvy, but speculation is that many of the cases were from the abuse of laudanum, a popular painkiller of the time.[citation needed] A drawing of the device is found in his 1617 book The Surgeons Mate.[citation needed]
The device was an iron tool slightly longer than 12 inches and consisted of a paddle at one end. The other end was spoon-shaped, with the center removed and a knob at the end.[citation needed] The spoon end was used to extract the "hard excrements" while the other was used for applying ointments, no doubt necessary after undergoing a procedure with this instrument.[citation needed]
The term mundani is apparently derived from the archaic term mundify which appeared in a dictionary from 1604 with the definition "to make clean".[citation needed]
On an archaeological dig at the Jamestown, Virginia, colonies a spatula mundani was found, and documents from 1608 report that it was part of a chest of surgeon's tools sent by Woodall to the colonies.[2]
See also[edit]
References[edit]
- ^ "Spatulum Mundani | Historic Jamestowne". Retrieved 2024-03-09.
- ^ William M. Kelso Jamestown Rediscovery, Volume 8 Association for the Preservation of Virginia Antiquities, 2004 pg. 44