Gillies needle-holder/scissors

摘要

Sir Harold Gillies' (1882–1960) association with this instrument reflects his considerable stature as a plastic surgeon, yet he is not its sole inventor. The asymmetric handles were introduced by Theodor Kocher (1841–1917) in the late 19th century, enabling scissors to hang from the ring finger when not in use and, in the absence of skilled assistance, their rotation to engage the thumb for cutting sutures. The addition of a needle-holding termination was registered before 1912 by Charles James (1863–1944), of the Indian Medical Service, as the ‘Patiala scissors’ (Figure 1); James, medical advisor to the State of Patiala in the Punjab from 1903–12, acknowledged his modification of Kocher's scissors.1 Exactly when Gillies introduced similar needle-holder/scissors is not clear before their illustration in his book Plastic Surgery of the Face published in 1920 (Figure 2) and their modification before 1929 when one jaw was fenestrated and the other excavated to secure needles in-line (Figure 3). Both the Patiala and Gillies instruments accelerated wound closure; later versions were unfenestrated with diamond or tungsten jaw surfaces.