Herniotome

/ˌhɜrniˈɑːtoʊm/ noun

Definition

A surgical instrument specifically designed for cutting into a hernia during a surgical operation.

Etymology

From 'hernio-' (hernia) + '-tome' (a cutting instrument, from Greek 'tome' meaning cutting). Medical instruments are often named by combining the body part or condition with '-tome.'

Kelly Says

A herniotome is a specialized scalpel, but modern surgeons have so many better tools available that it's mostly a museum piece in medical history—kind of like how we don't really use leeches for bloodletting anymore!

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