Kuntscher Nail
AssociatedAssociated with
Foresterhill College
(Aberdeen, Scotland, 1967 - 2003)
Manufacturer
Down
Date1970s
Object NameNail
Mediummetal
ClassificationsMedicine and Healthcare
DimensionsOverall: Length: 41.91 cm
AcquisitionKenneth A Webster Nursing Collection.
LocationView by Appointment
Object numberABDMS032479
About MeKuntscher medullary nail, clover leaf with eye at each end (double eyed in case it had to be removed, insertion of single eye made for difficult removal). This metal pin gives fixation to a fracture by being driven through the centre of the bone (medulla) the length of the femur or the tibia. It supports the fracture during the healing process and is removed when this is complete. Gerhard Kuntscher was not the first man to use such nailing but he did develop technique and materials which, during World War Two, proved the value of the procedure. The immediate value was to get troops back into action. In wartime the Germans not only treated their own troops with this technique they also gave help to injured prisoners of war.
