OBSTETRIC BLUNT HOOK AND CROCHET, MADE BY WRIGHT (U.K.)
MID-19TH CENTURY
This tool was used by the accoucheur or accoucheuse (male or female obstetrician, respectively – and sometimes midwife). It was used from the 1600’s to the late 1800’s. This particular example is made of unplated steel and has a rosewood handle. The blunt hook end was used in difficult deliveries; it would be inserted around the neck or under the shoulder to re-position and guide the fetus during childbirth. The crochet end was used in the case of a stillborn or aborted fetus – after the skull was broken with a perforator tool, the crochet was inserted into the cranium (or eye socket, shoulder, etc.) to extract the baby.
It is marked “Wright” and is from the United Kingdom. According to Bennion, there were two possible makers: John/William/Henry Wright of London, active from 1794 – 1867, or William Wright of Edinburgh, active from 1782 – 1827.