Dr. Knife Question...

FortyTwoBlades

FortyTwoBlades

Baryonyx walkeri
Dealer / Materials Provider
Joined
Mar 8, 2008
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...So what exactly is the intended purpose of the spatula blade commonly found on the so-called "doctor's knife" pattern? I know some people like to spread peanut butter and jelly with their knives, but I have to assume that this is not the--repeat--intended use for these things. After all, a doctor may enjoy a pbj as much as the next guy, but what would the chaps themselves use this for?
 
Sorting and counting pills for prescriptions.

Also note the flat end on most Doctor pattern knives, it's for crushing pills.
 
Also at the turn of the century...the 1900s not the more recent turn...many medicines came in powder form and the spatula made it easy to reach into a narrow mouthed bottle to remove a measure.
 
Absintheur said:
Also at the turn of the century...the 1900s not the more recent turn...many medicines came in powder form and the spatula made it easy to reach into a narrow mouthed bottle to remove a measure.
Click to expand...

Thats what I read some time back. Alot of old doctors knives came with advertising on them from the drug companies that often gave them away with the shipment of powdered drugs.

Some of the really old doctors knives will have a very flat base on the rear bolsters for crushing pills.
 
That's what I love about traditional knives -- some evolved to be used for specific tasks/users, while others evolved to be really good at a variety of general tasks. They're just cool.
 
Modern non traditional use?

...some evolved to be used for specific tasks/users ...with the shipment of powdered drugs...
 
Hey,

We can't have a Dr. Knife thread around here without pics :D.

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It is easy to tell which of the knife knuts have lots of powdered drugs around the house. ;) Great group of doctor's knives, Gus! :thumbup: I knew they were one area you collected in. Thanks for sharing these. I have always appreciated this pattern and the history behind it.

- Joe
 
Flat base, spatula... How big are these Doctor Knives? They seem like they might make a good pipe smoker's knife. Has anybody tried it?
 
Here is a mosaic damascus doctor's knife Don Hanson made several years ago. I have always thought this was a cool picture of it.

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- Joe
 
Doctor says "open your mouth ,stick out your tongue and say Aaaaaagh"

He then uses the flat blade to hold down your tongue while he inspects your throat .:D
 
There are also some Doctors knives that just have the spatula blade. Here is a Russell one. The other picture is just an old German one. - Dan
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In the 1800's and early 1900's physicians, especially those that did not practice in large cities, also functioned as dispensing pharmacists. Their little black bags were full of powders, pills and salves that they then compounded on site for their patients to treat them. The doctor knife served multiple purposes. The knife blade could function as a scalpel, the butt end could crush pills, powders, herbs and such (much like a morter and pestil) and the spatula blade could be used as a mixing blade, tongue blade, tissue retractor and many other uses. Basically this was the doc's swiss army knife.
 
Heck of a nice collection Gus! :eek::thumbup: They're sure not an easy pattern to find.

Eric
 
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