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19TH CENTURY SURGEON’S CASED CATHETER
SET – EXCELLENT CONDITION – IDENTIFIED SET:
Believed to date from the 1880’s, this very well made
set of 19th Century Cased Catheters has
survived intact with all the original instruments
present and in like new condition.
The leatherette case measures 13 ¾” long, 5” wide, 1”
high. The center front latch, and the swivel hook
latches on each end are of brass, all are intact and
fully functional. The case was apparently hinged on the
back with the same leatherette material that covers the
case, but that hinge seam is now separated due to the
wear through the years. Otherwise the case exterior is
in excellent condition with only minor scuffs at the
corners. Mounted on the top of the case is a silver
presentation plate measuring 1 ½” long and ¼” wide,
bearing the engraved inscription, “Wm SIMPSON, from
Thos. A. Dodd”.
The silk lining in the lid and velvet lining in the
instrument tray is intact with minimal wear.
The maker’s label on the lid lining is legible.
According to the 1850 Ward's directory for
Northumberland and Durham, R. McQueen & Son were located
at 45 Grainger St. in Newcastle, and listed as a cutler
and maker of surgical instruments. By 1858, the firm
was listed under the same name at 52 Grainger St., and
was still there in 1916. Robert McQueen was born in
1819 in Tynemouth and died in 1890 in Corbridge. His
son, William, was also a cutler, so apparently he kept
the firm in business after his father’s death.
Made of silver as was typical, and showing a nice even
aged patina, all of the catheters are present, all are
intact with the wire inserts, and all are numbered
sequentially from “1” through “12” on the knurled knobs
of the wire inserts. All of the catheters are full form
with no crimps or bends out of shape, and all of them
have both of the tie loops intact and in full form with
none that are bent, broken or damaged. It is
interesting that only one of the set – No. 8 - is
stamped with the maker’s name, while the others are not
so stamped, but all of the catheters are identical in
design and form, save for their size and the numbering
system.
The glass vial appears to be original to the set given
the perfect fit in the mortise provided. The vial is
full form with no cracks or chips and the stopper is in
place. The label has a hand written notation in ink
describing the contents which is beyond my ability to
decipher except that it seems to indicate the contents
are a in 1% solution.
This is a very nice set, and while it was not unusual
for the smaller catheters to be bent or broken during
use, or simply lost over the passage of time, this set
has retained all the original instruments in excellent
condition, and it displays quite nicely in a medical
display.
SOLD
NOTE: A special note of thanks is
due to Dr. Doug Arbittier, owner of
www.medicalantiques.com for
his time and assistance in identifying and properly
dating this set. Dr. Arbittier’s web site is well worth
visiting, even if your primary interest field is not
medical antiques – if nothing else, it will make you
appreciate modern medicine.
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