This wrench was given to Mr Samuel Davidson (1912-1999) while he was working as a surgeon at the Princess Louise Hospital, Erskine.

It is an example of the type of wrench designed by Hugh Owen Thomas (1834-1891) an orthopaedic surgeon born in Anglesey, his father being from a long line of bone-setters. The wrench is over 32 cm long and is marked Down of London. H. O Thomas's constant experiments with new designs for instruments to be used for orthopaedic surgery made him a leader in this field. He practised for many years in Liverpool where great advances in orthopaedic surgery took place, largely as a result of the huge incidence of rickets amongst the poor.

This style of wrench, introduced by Thomas around 1865, was used to untwist club feet. The dimensions were adapted to make wrenches for both children and adults. Thomas often treated dockers and shipyard workers, dealing with severe accident cases with great regularity. He invented a variety of ingenious splints.

The splint which he devised for compound fractures of the lower limbs saved many lives and limbs when it was used widely during the First World War.

A more disturbing item which he invented was an instrument which broke the deformed bones of children between its three legs. However cruel this may seem today it marked a great advance upon the previous method of cutting through the bone and then breaking it with a mallet and chisel.

Related Items
The papers of Mr Samuel Davidson are held in the College Archives (RCPSG 81).