Medical Marvels: The Weirdest Tools Still in Use Today

In an age of robotic surgery, AI diagnostics, and wearable health monitors, you’d think all medical tools would look like something out of Star Trek. But dig into the drawers of any operating room, ENT clinic, or gynecology suite, and you’ll find something that looks… questionably medieval.

From ice-cold speculums to crank-handle drills, some instruments are so weird, outdated-looking, or just plain terrifying that you’ll wonder:
Why are these still in use?

The answer? Because they work—sometimes better than their modern replacements. Whether due to simplicity, effectiveness, or sheer lack of innovation in certain niches, these bizarre instruments have stood the test of time, bizarre looks and all.

Let’s explore the strangest medical marvels still lurking in modern medicine—and why no one has dared to throw them out just yet.

1. The Sims Vaginal Speculum: A Cold Classic
Named after the controversial "father of modern gynecology" J. Marion Sims, this double-bladed, unhinged vaginal retractor looks more like a medieval torture device than a medical tool.

Why It’s Weird:

• It requires gravity to work—so the patient is often positioned in very specific ways.
  
  
• It has no insulation, so unless warmed, it's ice-cold on contact.
  
  
• It must be held manually by a clinician—talk about multitasking under pressure.
  

Why It’s Still Used:

• It offers superior visualization of the vaginal walls for certain procedures compared to modern duckbill speculums.
  
  
• It’s a go-to for procedures like vaginal fistula repair and cervical visualization in postmenopausal women.
  

Despite its 19th-century origins, the Sims speculum still commands a spot in modern gynecology.

2. The Gigli Saw: A Wire That Cuts Bone
It’s just a piece of wire with loop handles on either end. But give it a firm back-and-forth yank, and it will cut through bone.

Why It’s Weird:

• No motors. No blades. Just wire and friction.
  
  
• It feels wildly low-tech in an era of precision tools.
  

Why It’s Still Used:

• Especially useful in amputations, craniotomies, and field surgery when power tools aren’t available.
  
  
• Its flexibility makes it ideal for awkward angles or tight spaces.
  

Military surgeons and orthopedic trauma teams swear by it—because it works when nothing else does.

3. The Hegar Dilators: Surgical Matryoshka Dolls
These long, metal rods come in graduated sizes, from pencil-thin to Sharpie-thick. They’re used to dilate the cervix or uterus.

Why It’s Weird:

• They look suspiciously like torture implements or plumbing tools.
  
  
• Some sets come in elegant velvet-lined boxes, making them look more like a Victorian medical curiosity than a surgical necessity.
  

Why It’s Still Used:

• Still standard for uterine sounding, cervical dilation, and even in gender-affirming vaginoplasty.
  
  
• Durable, easy to sterilize, and rarely fail.
  

There are digital options, balloon-based alternatives, and hydraulic devices, but Hegar rods remain the trusty go-to for OB/GYNs around the globe.

4. The Magill Forceps: The Long Metal Fingers
These long, curved forceps look like oversized chopsticks crossed with alien claws. But they’re life-saving in the right hands.

Why It’s Weird:

• The design looks aggressively intimidating.
  
  
• The angle makes them hard to master without training.
  

Why It’s Still Used:

• Critical in airway management—pulling foreign bodies or guiding nasogastric tubes into place.
  
  
• Essential in emergency pediatrics, where airway size makes direct removal risky.
  

If you’ve ever had something pulled from your throat without choking, thank the Magill forceps.

5. The Allis Clamp: The Toothy Gripper
This handheld instrument looks like a bear trap in forceps form—and it kind of functions like one.

Why It’s Weird:

• Its serrated teeth bite into tissue and hold with unforgiving grip.
  
  
• It’s designed to cause trauma—to hold slippery, fibrous tissue that resists normal clamping.
  

Why It’s Still Used:

• Essential in grabbing fascia, tumors, or even bowel loops during surgery.
  
  
• When you need a “no-slip grip,” it’s the surgical equivalent of super glue.
  

Just don’t use it on anything delicate—Allis clamps do not play.

6. The Otoscope with Pneumatic Bulb: Blow and See
Used to examine the eardrum, this classic device hasn’t changed much in over 100 years.

Why It’s Weird:

• A squeeze bulb attached to an ear cone? Strange.
  
  
• You blow air into a patient’s ear and watch the membrane jiggle.
  

Why It’s Still Used:

• Still the best way to diagnose otitis media with effusion.
  
  
• Simple, portable, and doesn’t need batteries or screens.
  

Even with digital otoscopes available, the pneumatic otoscope remains the ENT go-to.

7. The Rectal Rocket: Suppository Spacecraft
Yes, it’s as weird as it sounds. The rectal rocket is a custom-molded suppository used for treating hemorrhoids and post-surgical anorectal issues.

Why It’s Weird:

• Shaped like a rocket ship with grooves to allow gas escape during treatment.
  
  
• Rarely discussed, rarely seen—yet widely respected in certain surgical circles.
  

Why It’s Still Used:

• Perfect for multi-drug delivery with local numbing agents, steroids, and anti-inflammatories.
  
  
• Provides steady, targeted relief and better patient compliance.
  

It’s a weird name, a weirder shape—but a highly effective tool.

8. The Plaster Spreader: The Bone Breaker (Sort Of)
Designed to pry apart hardened plaster casts, this tool resembles a horrifying set of industrial-grade pliers.

Why It’s Weird:

• Heavy, loud, and a little violent-looking.
  
  
• Can appear aggressive in pediatric settings.
  

Why It’s Still Used:

• Nothing else slices cleanly through plaster without endangering skin.
  
  
• Safe when used correctly—despite its intimidating appearance.
  

It’s still used in orthopedic and ER departments worldwide.

9. The Tenaculum: A Medieval-Looking Spike
This hook-like instrument pierces and grabs tissue—especially in gynecology, where it holds the cervix steady during IUD insertion or biopsies.

Why It’s Weird:

• It pierces tissue on purpose and holds it in place.
  
  
• The design hasn’t changed since the 1800s.
  

Why It’s Still Used:

• Reliable grip with minimal bleeding.
  
  
• Practitioners know exactly what to expect—it’s fast and precise.
  

A newer, less painful version (the “no-pinch” tenaculum) is being tested, but the original is still standard.

10. The Bone Mallet and Chisel: Orthopedic Carpentry
In some orthopedic surgeries, bones aren’t just cut—they’re carved and sculpted. That’s where hammers and chisels still come in.

Why It’s Weird:

• It feels more like woodshop than surgery.
  
  
• The idea of hammering inside a sterile body is jarring to non-surgeons.
  

Why It’s Still Used:

• Bone is tough. Sometimes a clean chisel strike is better than a saw.
  
  
• Common in joint replacement, osteotomy, and spinal fusion.
  

Sometimes, a surgeon just needs brute force with finesse.

11. The Laryngoscope with a Blade Like a Scythe
Modern video laryngoscopes exist—but many anesthesiologists still reach for the Macintosh laryngoscope, with its wide, curved blade.

Why It’s Weird:

• Looks like a tiny farming sickle, yet it’s headed toward your throat.
  
  
• Must be inserted with precision to avoid dental trauma.
  

Why It’s Still Used:

• Reliable, doesn’t rely on batteries
  
  
• Works in emergency intubations and field settings
  

Many providers learn on it and stick with it. Old-school, but highly effective.