A dermtome is used to produce thin slices of skin from a donor area, for use in skin grafts. Harry Merrill Brown (1914-1948), an Indiana surgeon, devised the Electro-Dermatome. Milford Barron (1913-2001), a graduate of the General Motors Institute, helped with the development. A patent was issued in 1947, and sold to the Zimmer Manufacturing Co. An inscription on this example reads “BROWN / ELECTRO-DERMATOME / ZIMMER MFG. CO. / WARSHAW, IND. U.S.A.”
Ref: Harry M. Brown and Milford Barron, “Surgical Instrument for Skin Grafting,” U.S. Patent 2,457,772 (Aug. 25, 1947).
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