magyarul
Other names: Hetzel’s finger knife for closing the vagina (Source: Állatorvosi értelmező szótár. Szerk. Gallyas Csaba, Holló Ferenc. Budapest, Mezőgazdasági Kiadó, 1984. p. 305.)
The innovator: Henrik Hetzel (1875–1949)
Veterinary doctor, founder of the Department of Obstetrics (1918), organizer and lecturer in obstetrics (1918–1928), and head of the Obstetrics Clinic (1929–1946) and the Polyclinic from 1936 to 1945. Renowned researcher and first lecturer on the pathology and treatment of infertility. (Source: Hungarian Veterinary Pantheon in Hungarian)
Description: Obstetric knives (finger knifes, embryotomes, muscle knifes) are used to cut up the foetus. “The instrument is a 7-cm-long, curved knife blade with a ring on the back that can be bent forward and backward to accommodate the index finger, and a ring on the rear end that can be turned to the right or left to accommodate the thumb. Above the edge of the blade I made a button that fits the middle finger. The small hole in the body of the blade is used to attach a thread, so that we can assist in the incision with our hands outside the genitals.” (Source: Hetzel Henrik: Állatorvosi szülészet. Gödöllő, a szerző kiadása, 1925. 271–272. p.)
Year: The year of the innovation is unknown.
Interesting: “The use of various open or concealed obstetric knives, which were always dangerous for the mother, is now limited to the narrowest of spaces. Even when working with simpler fetotoms, a single finger knife (e.g., Günther-Tapken’s or Hetzel’s), that can be easily concealed in the palm of the hand, is sufficient for cutting the skin to secure the position of the saw blade. In other cases, it is used to cut through body cavities, tubes, or skin bridges remaining after sawing.” (Source: Cseh Sándor: Állatorvosi szülészeti műtéttan. Budapest, Mezőgazdasági K., 1953. p. 213.)
Source of the image: World renowned achievements of Hungarian veterinary science. Inventors and innovators. Temporary exhibition. Collection of Veterinary History. 2011. URL: https://univet.hu/konyvtar/wp-content/uploads/sites/17/2025/07/inventors_and_innovators.pdf Downloaded: 18.09.2025
Éva Orbán
