This type of vaginal speculum has been known since the middle of the nineteenth century and associated with “Ferguson.” Some attribute it to Sir William Fergusson (1808-77), a prominent surgeon in London. Others to a London instrument dealer. This example is made of glass, the outer wall of which is covered with a layer of tin foil which, in turn, is covered with black varnish.
Ref: George Tiemann & Co., Armamentarium Chirurgicum (New York, 1879), p. 52.
Alban Doran, “Fergus(s)on’s Speculum,” The British Medical Journal (March 11, 1916): 397.
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