Civil War Era, W. H. HUTCHINSON 'Dog-Legged' Dental Tooth Turn Key Extractor

Description

From my Dental Collection
:  Here we have an
Antique,
Civil War Era, W. H. HUTCHINSON, 'Dog-Legged' (offset) Dental Tooth Turn Key Extractor
.
Started in 1834 by William and Henry Hutchinson at 76 Norfolk Street, Sheffield, the company moved to 36 Matilda Street, Sheffield where it thrived with British Naval contracts. In the late 1850's and early 1860’s,
during the American Civil War,
the company supplied material to the buying agents of the Confederate States
with whom the British Government supported because of the essential cotton supply that was crucial to feed Britain's industrial revolution. The firm closed its doors in 1891. The lower section of the shaft is marked by the maker.
The dental key or turn
key, which was probably in more general use for the extraction of teeth than any other single instrument prior to the 1900s, caused more accidents and injuries than all other extraction instruments combined. The claw was placed over the top of the tooth and the bolster, the long metal rod to which the claw is attached, was placed against the root of the tooth. The key was then turned as if the user were opening a lock and the tooth would hopefully be removed. Tooth pulling was carried out by a range of people including barber-surgeons and travelling practitioners and was the most common remedy for diseased teeth. Dentistry did not become a regulated and licensed profession until the late 1800s.
This is an early instrument with a nicely turned steel shaft with a decorative flared section.
It has a nice aged patina.
The hardwood handle has NO nicks or cracks. This Turn Key example is designed with a small screw that allows you to remove the extraction claw-hook to replace it with a different size or shape of hook. This one comes with a number '3' size hook The instrument is 5-3/4" long.  Handle is approx. 3-7/8"L.
This would make a great addition to your Civil War or Dental collection !!
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