The present invention is a novel surgical retractor used singularly or in pairs to provide optimum viewing exposure of the surgical field during open gallbladder and biliary tract surgery and to assist in the closing. This stainless steel device comprises a broad rectangular head portion, a narrow angular neck portion, a flat body portion and a flat tail portion disposed angularly relative to the central longitudinal axis of the body portion. The angular relationship between the tail portion and the central longitudinal axis of the body portion will be from about 20.degree. to about 30.degree. in one embodiment of the retractor and from about 75.degree. to about 95.degree. in a second embodiment of the retractor. The device is useful in a small incision thus reducing operation time and cost while improving patient safety and recovery time.

A mouth exploring device comprising a handle and an exploring strip connected to the handle. The strip has two convex lateral edge portions which extend in a front part of the strip and define a substantially V-shaped notch having convex flanks so that the strip has a generally heart-shaped profile.

This disclosure relates to an implement particularly adapted for engaging groups of hair and withdrawing the groups of hair through an associated frosting cap incident to tinting, frosting, streaking, dyeing or otherwise treating and/or coloring the hair, the implement including a generally elongated cylindrical body of one piece homogeneous polymeric/copolymeric material, a pair of generally oppositely directed hook portions carried one at each of axially opposite ends of the body, each hook portion including a shank and a hook, the hooks being of different sizes, the shank being common to and integral with the hooks or alternatively each hook portion including a separate shank individual to its associated hook, means defined by the shank or shanks for preventing relative axial and rotational movement between the hook portions and the body and for securing the same together, and a cap housing each hook in partial external telescopic relationship to an associated one of the body ends whereby each cap can be selectively removed to expose the associated hook for withdrawing groups of hair as aforesaid.

A method for removing a vessel from a patient's body comprises the steps of identifying the vessel to be removing and providing an incision in the patient's body near the identified vessel. An optical dissector is inserted through the incision and tissue is optically dissected away from the surface of the vessel with the optical dissector. The optical dissector is then withdrawn from the body through the incision. An optical retractor is inserted into the body through the incision and is used to retract the dissected tissue away from the surface of the vessel thereby providing space between the dissected vessel and the retracted tissue. The vessel and its side branches are then dissected, ligated and transected and the vessel is then removed from the body through the incision.

A method of setting fractures of a limb which comprises applying tension to the ends of the limb which is fractured while the limb is under X ray observation, engaging portions of the limb with hooks of tools grasped out of the range of the X ray exposure, moving the hooks transversely to manipulate the portions of the limb while the portions are under X ray observation to align the portions of the limb, and inserting a wire axially through the aligned portions.