Trephination Set

Pepys, William Hasledine · mid 1700s

This trephination set belonged to Charles McKnight (1750-1791), a physician who served in the Continental Army during the American Revolution, and then practiced in New York City. Trephining, a surgical procedure entailing boring a hole through the skull, was widely advocated for the treatment of head wounds during this time. This set of tools, or parts of the set, was made by William Hasledine Pepys (1748–1805), a cutler and surgical instrument maker in London. The set contains: two (2) crown trephines with handle; one (1) tweezer forceps; one (1) arrow head perforator; one (1) elevator; two (2) lenticular knives; one (1) tripod; one (1) scalpel; one (1) forceps; and one (1) Sharp's forceps.