Surgical instrument case and instruments, English, 1650-1700.

The case is made of silver mounted shagreen (fish skin), bearing the arms of the Barber Surgeons' Company. The instruments consist of scisors, a tongue depresor, forceps, probes, and lancets. The double-edged blades of the lancets are placed between tortoise-shell covers with inverted screws, they were used for opening veins for blood letting. The various sizes and shapes of lancet were used on veins of different sizes or locations.