Colchester Archaeological Report 2: The Roman small finds

CATEGORY 2: TOILET, SURGICAL OR PHARMACEUTICAL INSTRUMENTS
Tweezers, spoons, probes, spatulas, and other
objects usually described as being toilet or surgical
instruments are found on urban, military, and villa
sites both in this country and abroad (eg Kenyon
1948, fig 86; Ritterling 1913, Taf 16; Neal and
Butcher 1974, figs 62 and 63; Merrifield 1965, pls
136 and 137; Branigan 1977, fig 27). Most were
probably employed for toilet rather than surgical
purposes, though their use in minor surgery or
pharmacy should not be discounted, particularly on
military sites, where there may have been a resident
army surgeon, several medical staff, or even a
1 2
hospital. The most common use(s) for each type of
Fig 58 Combs (1:1)
55
object and the appropriate reference to Milne 1970,
where the applications of these instruments in
medical practice are listed in detail, are given below.
COMBS (Figs 58 and 59; 1851-1860)
Very few antler or bone combs were recovered. Eight
were found at Butt Road, of which seven were
deposits in east-west oriented graves belonging to
the later cemetery and can therefore be dated to
within the last three-quarters of the 4th and perhaps
the early 5th century. The eighth came from the fill of
an east-west grave and probably derived from a
north-south aligned late 3rd- to 4th-century