The Heister Mouth Gag or ‘Speculum Oris’

Abstract

The Heister mouth gag is attributed to Lorenz Heister, an eighteenth century German surgeon. There is no evidence that Heister designed the mouth gag, the earliest known illustration of which is in the 1719 edition of Heister's Chirurgie. In the first half of the twentieth century, the Heister gag was widely available for use during anaesthesia. It is now rarely used by anaesthestists, but occasionally used by surgeons during oral surgery.Several dozen mouth gags were available to anaesthetists at the beginning of the 20th century. Most were developed after 1870. For reasons that are not clear, one gag, attributed to Lorenz Heister (1683-1758), a German surgeon and botanist, became one of the most popular mouth gags used by anaesthetists. Remarkably, the Heister mouth gag dates back at least three centuries -its earliest known illustration is in the 1719 edition of Heister's Chirurgie 1 . This article explores the earliest known descriptions of the Heister mouth gag, which date from the 18th century, and its more recent use by anaesthetists and surgeons. The possible origins of the mouth gag, Heister's opinion of it and his description of the management of "spasm of the jaw" are considered. Although there is no evidence the mouth gag attributed to Heister was invented by him, Heister's name has traditionally been associated with it and the term 'Heister mouth gag' is used in this article.

Heister mouth gag aided endotracheal intubation in patients with maxillofacial trauma

“…The blades rest on the incisors or premolars. [ 7 ] Mouth gags were originally used to open the mouth of patients with tetanus, dental, or peritonsillar infections and to facilitate surgical procedures in the mouth and throat. Anesthesiologists used the mouth gag to access the upper airway during inhalational anesthesia.…”