McIndoe scissors in use

A plastic surgeon holds curved “McIndoe”-type scissors used for dissecting soft tissues.

Note the correct grip with thumb and ring finger stabilised for accuracy by the index. Here, the thumb skin is subtly indented by the scissor ring, demonstrating that the instrument has been almost “impossibly” cast and incorporated within the sculpture.

This piece from 2013 is cast in dental stone by Professor Rowan Pritchard-Jones and Consultant Prosthetist Jane McPhail at Whiston Hospital on Merseyside. The method by which the instrument has been incorporated remains mysterious. 

McIndoe scissors, developed by notable mid 20th century British Plastic Surgeon, Sir Archibald McIndoe are commonly used to separate planes within, or cut into soft tissues during a wide variety of procedures. Extremely suited to that purpose, they are widely used within many other surgical disciplines. This example is manufactured by Rocialle, and intended to be single use, or disposable.

These images are by Photographer John Heaton.