1800's DUBOIS French Surgeon's Fancy Ornate Bone Amputation Bow Saw, Ebony Hdle

Description

From my Medical Collection
: Here we have an
extremely RARE
1800's P. A. DUBOIS French Surgeon's Fancy Ornate Bone Arm Leg Amputation Bow Saw
with Fantastic Pistol Grip Ebony Handle.
The top or the frame is stamped DUBOIS. Paul Antoine Dubois
(1875-1871)
was a French obstetrician.
In 1830 he was appointed professor of obstetrics in the faculty of medicine at the University of Paris, and soon became distinguished for his skill in diagnosis
.  Due to is skill in gynecological and
obstetric
al procedures Dubois apparently began developing instruments which were then subsequently manufactured with his name by other instrument makers.
You can see a picture of this type of saw in the book:
Antique Medical Instruments by Kenneth Wilbur, M.D.
6th
Edition,
on page 128
.
Apparently, in the 1700’s and early 1800's, amputation s
aws were ornate becau
s
e only wealthy physicians or royalty could afford an amputation and more effort was spent on creating a beautiful instrument for this clientele
.  These saw had attributes of being large and heavy and handles were made of bone, i__ry or ebony.  This bow saw has an ornate metal frame with beautifully turned
stylish set of three
fittings on the top beam.  The front frame member has a fancy double-scalloped shape!  The frame finish is in very good condition.  The blade is held tight in the bow frame by tightening the ornate large thumbscrew at one end.  The
ebony
handle is a very fancy ornate pistol grip style.  There is a tight break around the lower section that is held in place by the thick metal plate that is tenoned into the handle and attached with the original pins. There is also one tiny chip on the top of the lower handle extension. (please review pics). Saw is 19-1/4" long x 4-3/4" tall.
These ornate saws are very Rare, ESPECIALLY one marked by a MAKER !!  This is one that becomes one of the centerpieces of your collection, as it was in mine !!
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