(Left) Hubert's spoon perforator: Wood, German silver and steel; 19th century; 7x55,4x3,5cm; Collin (Middle) Simpson's Cranioclast: Wood, brass and steel; 19th century; 7,7 x 38 x 2,6 cm; Charrière. (Right) Smellie's cranial perforator: Steel; 19th century; 0,7x24x5,1cm

The embryotomy instruments had a large use throughout of history until the nineteenth century, since there was no other solution to save the mother's life in case of fetal death. Only after the eighteenth century started caesarean section to be performed regularly in the living, in order to keep fetal well-being. Since then histerotomy was performed during pregnancy after the death of the pregnant woman using her bed as an operating-table. In a period of time when the pain, the infection and the bleeding constituted serious adversaries, mortality and morbidity during and immediately after the surgery were very frequent. The danger of fetal extraction through laparotomy determined the use of the vaginal via, which was easier when fetal dead was already established. The major obstacle was the cephalic pole, because it has the bigger diameter. One had to use a solution that would reduce its dimensions, whether by crushing (Simpson's craneoclast), by piercing followed by exteriorization of the brain tissue (Smellie's cranial perforator), or by piercing followed by traction (Hubert's spoon perforator). In this last embryotomy instrument the perforator is connected to a handle, which supports, in turn, a curved metal shaft. The shaft's shape is the one that better facilitates traction, which is applied on it, and care had to be taken to consider its fitness onto the pelvic curvature.

To think that R. T. H. Laennec (1781-1826) invented the stethoscope (1816)- an instrument that greatly improved thoracic auscultation - and that only later were adapted models developed that allowed fetal cardiac hearing, with potentialities that are expanded today by means of ultrassonography, takes us to imagine the difficulty that in the former period existed in defining fetal well being and vitality. Being good clinicians, they would probably take into account the information, stated by the mother, concerning the presence of fetal movements and the way delivery was developing; these were, however, insufficient to perform an irreversible act.

In these instruments of the era before antisepsis/asepsis one finds in its composition, as expected, organic material, iron metals and non-iron metals. The manufacturer mark helps to establish the time of production.