THE rather ferocious-looking object featured in last week’s Craven Curiosities did not fool reader Emma Slater.

She writes: “I think this is a craniotomy saw. Also known as a Hey’s saw, it is a double-bladed instrument that can be used to achieve different angled cuts to the skull, for example for trepanation (or drilling a hole in the skull) which was thought to treat health problems associated with intracranial diseases, epileptic seizures, migraines and mental disorders, by relieving pressure.”

That’s exactly what it is, as Anne Read, honorary curator of the Museum of North Craven Life a The Folly in Settle, further explains: “Continuing to explore the contents of our Long Preston Dr Clegg’s surgical instrument case, we discover this especially gruesome object, used for performing operations on the skull. The saw pictured here is of a pattern more than 2000 years old, but is named after the eighteenth century surgeon William Hey (1736-1819) of Leeds. Hey’s saws were a common surgical instrument in medical kits of the 18th and 19th centuries. In dealing with head injuries it was necessary to cut into the cranium to remove splinters of bone or sometimes to relieve internal pressure. Once again we must admire the versatility of our local doctors in carrying out emergency operations and stabilising patients until they could be transported to Leeds Infirmary for further treatment.

Suggestions for this week’s Craven Curiosity, top, should be sent by 8am on Monday to news@cravenherald.co.uk