Obsidian Scalpel

The sales page speaks for itself:

For applications where an extremely fine cutting action is required or for studies where trace metals from ordinary scalpel blades cannot be tolerated, these very special obsidian scalpels may provide the answer. They are so fine that they are used in human surgical procedures where objectionable scar tissue might result from the use of a coarser scalpel. The blade is made from obsidian a type of volcanic glass which allows a much finer blade than is possible with the conventional steel blade. In some cases this makes the relatively inexpensive obsidian scalpel a suitable substitute for an expensive diamond knife. Patterned after “stone-age” knives which first made their appearance about 18,000 years ago, these modern versions utilize hard maple wood dowelling for handles and a special epoxy coating. This seals the joint between the blade and the handle, and enables the knife to be autoclaved.

Note that the handle is solid maple. And that the blade is obsidian.

“The future’s already happened, it’s just unequally distributed” – William Gibson.

Perhaps the past as well.

1 comment:

[…] As a follow up to the Gibson quote in the obsidian scalpel post, here is Cory Doctorow on Xmas stocking USB thumbdrives: “USB keys shaped like Xmas stockings — themed, formed RAM as a stocking stuffer. Truly, we live in the future, and it is every bit as un-sexy as the past.” […]

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