Pruning Shears - Handmade, Scrap Metal, circa 1900

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Summary:: Pruning shears made and used by a patient at a Victorian psychiatric hospital circa 1849 - 1950. Hand-assembled from available scrap material. The length and shape of the blades leads to the deduction that it was used for pruning branches. This is an example of gardening equipment used at Victorian psychiatric hospital. It is also an example of equipment made by patients at Victorian psychiatric hospitals and the sorts of activities that they carried out.
Description:: The long thin body is composed of 2 flat pieces of wood rivetted together. 2 small moon-shaped metal blades poke out one end and are operated by a simple lever system which runs through the centre of the wooden handle to a lever-handle at the other end, which is pulled outward, at right angles to the body of the instrument, to open the blades. This item appears to have been hand-assembled from available scrap material.
Acquisition Information:: Donation from Office of Psychiatric Services

Discipline:	History
Dimensions:	115.00 cm (Height), 2.50 cm (Width), 15.00 cm (Length)

Tagged with:	gardening, occupational therapy, psychiatric hospitals
Themes this item is part of:	Psychiatric Services Collection, Medicine in Society Collection, Public Life & Institutions Collection
Primary Classification:	MEDICINE & HEALTH
Secondary Classification:	Mental Health - Occupational Therapy
Tertiary Classification:	gardening tools
Place & Date Made:	Victoria, Australia, circa 1900
Place & Date Used:	Victoria, Australia, 1849-1950
References:	Oral history