Doctors Knives

RRRRanch · Post by **RRRRanch** » Sat Oct 14, 2006 3:00 am

I have been looking for a good explanation of doctors knives. I intend to give a couple as gifts to doctors who I feel I owe more than just their bill. That sounds strange doesn't it, he makes a LOT more than I do, but that is what I want to do. Can anybody help?

Randy

jonet143 · Post by **jonet143** » Sat Oct 14, 2006 3:42 am

welcome randy!
i don't know if they were actually used as such, most have a spear type blade for cuttin and some have a spatula blade as well for moving pills or powders. most have a solid flat rear bolster for bustin up the pills or powders.
somebody else tell more if you know.

tank · Post by **tank** » Sat Oct 14, 2006 4:40 am

Sounds spot on jonet.

RRRRanch · Post by **RRRRanch** » Sun Oct 15, 2006 12:31 am

Thanks for the info, but I knew that part. I guess I should have explained my question better. I am looking for a little history of the knife. Some rough time frame when they came into being, used in what areas of the country, etc, etc. I would like to include it when I give these knives to my doctor and my wife's doctor. We have both had some serious health issues in the last couple of years and our respective doctors have gone above and beyond for us.
Although I do not consider myself a collector, because I don't list my knives, sell, or trade. Seems I just buy and keep them, I have several hundred and most of them have been used. I have been looking for the perfect knife for years and of course I haven't found it or them. I have made a few and bought a lot over the years. I grew up in a small town in Texas, hunting and fishing from the time I can remember, spent 23 years in the AF and 17 years in Special OPS, going where nobody wanted to go before. That has had a LOT to do with my view of what a knife should be.

Randy

nmikash · Post by **nmikash** » Mon Oct 16, 2006 6:09 am

RRRRANCH:
I hate to be the one to tell you, but from what you have described....you are a collector. Welcome to the support group.

Nick

justold52 · Post by **justold52** » Mon Oct 16, 2006 10:40 am

RRRRanch ; (going where nobody wanted to go before ).

I think you must have been bitten by the "BUG".

I and many others here would like to see some of your used knives too.

After reading your post. It made me think of my SOG knives.

The longer you come here to this site. The more you will see most won't sell what they have too. But we like showing off our old girls from time to time.

So Welcome to AAPK and Show use some of your sweet old girls.

Sorry I do not have or know any thing about DR. knives. But I can tell you sure must think a lot about your DR. to do this for him. You must think well about KNIVES to give this Dr. a special one of yours.
and you call your self a non collector.

ea42 · Post by **ea42** » Tue Oct 17, 2006 8:47 pm

Randy,
Well here's all I can come up with so far, as far as history the closest I can find is that they were used by frontier doctors who made house calls by horse and buggy. Here's some other info I gleaned off the web;
Doctors Knife: Gone are the days when physicians made door to door house calls but the famous Pil- Buster design lives on. The elongated spear blade was used to aid as a back up scalpel and to divide pills in half with the flat butt caps design to grind the pills into powder. Some models incorporated a spatula, designed to use as an aid in mixing and administrating salves.
Now here's a quote from Levines Guide, 5th edition;
"Years ago, the distinction between the physician, who treated illness with medicine, and the surgeon, who treated by operating, was much sharper than it is now. The physicians knife is so called because it is primarily designed for preparing medicines.
The narrow spear master blade was intended for scooping powders from vials, and for loosening powders if they got caked. The flat seal cap, often of coin silver, was used for crushing powders and pills (hence the collector's name for this pattern, the pill-buster) The second blade of a pill-buster is sometimes a flexible spatula, used for mixing powders or salves. More often it is a slim pen blade.
Though a physicians knife could be used for emergency surgery, this was not it's intended function. The one example that I have seen that had a scalpel blade was advertised as a veterinary knife."
That's about all I have, hope it helps.

Eric

johnnierotten · Post by **johnnierotten** » Wed Oct 18, 2006 2:47 am

Here's a German Dr.....I think a good present for a dentist would be a Leatherman!!
My pics are almost as bad as my jokes!!

straybulletbmc · Post by **straybulletbmc** » Sun Oct 22, 2006 2:58 am

Wow,
I have given Doc knives to my doctors for years, my primary care doctors keeps his in a curio under down lighting, when he entertains he states his guests just love his collection, I told him he has an addiction, and I got him started, lol......I recently gave a case bone stag to my emergency surgeon, and told him to use it in the OR if he needed to, we both had a laugh over that. When I come into his office in November or December, he looks around the room to see if I brung in a new one, I tell him he is addicted bad.

RRRRanch · Post by **RRRRanch** » Sun Oct 22, 2006 6:20 pm

I guess I am a collector. I keep plotting to make it to one of the big shows, but I do make it to some small ones around here. I will have to break out the digial camera and add some pics later. I do have some unique ones. Some hand made by negritos in the Phillipines in the 70's. Now theirs just look like cheap flea market knives, but not back than. They were rough, but very effective. A couple of autos for Germany, long ago. One from the middel east, somewhere, etc, etc. I have a Schrade Damascus that I have only seen one of, it is nice. I look forward to a long and interesting time on this web site.

Thanks for all the info, I intend to present it with the knives, I am afraid most doctors now days may not be aware of them.
Randy

orvet · Post by **orvet** » Mon Oct 23, 2006 5:01 am

Randy,
I would LOVE to see a picture of that Schrade Damascus!

Dale

RRRRanch · Post by **RRRRanch** » Thu Oct 26, 2006 12:20 am

I promise I will do that, but I am just up to my ears right now and leaving for San Antonio this Saturday. It will have to be when I get back. It is is a wood presentation case with a tooled leather belt pouch.

citizen44 · Post by **citizen44** » Sat Dec 16, 2006 4:21 am

I am an obstetrician, and have been hoping for some time that one of my patients would think enough of me to give me a Case Baby Doc (what else?). Still waiting. Either they don't think enough of me, or none of my patients know enough about knives (I'd like to think the latter).
Anyway, just broke down and bought one for myself two weeks ago.

jonet143 · Post by **jonet143** » Sat Dec 16, 2006 4:27 am

well doc, sometimes you got to heal yourself. be careful prescribing knives to yourself, they're habit forming.

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