Accolades to his accomplishments and inspired remembrances of personal experiences, with founder and first president Sterling Bunnell, M.D. will lace all facets of the fabric of this year's ceremonies and presentations at the fiftieth anniversary meeting of the ASSH.

It is indeed right and salutary that Hand & Footnotes should review some of the more modest contributions inspired by the old master: contributions to instrument design which continue in popular use to this day.

Tendon Strippers
The tendon stripper bearing his name features a slotted shaft that can encircle a tendon without the need to sever the distal or proximal attachments. The cylindrical handle, with its knurled grip, can be alternately rotated between the surgeon's thumb and forefinger, making it especially useful for loosening adhesions. Bunnell strippers are 140 mm in length and are offered in six diameters to fit virtually any tendon encountered in either hand or foot.

Tendon Passer
Dr. Bunnel’s design for a tendon passer incorporated a malleable shaft approximately 1 mm in diameter and 230 mm in length. A hollow cone at the proximal end contains a harpoon-shaped slit in its side to attach a suture. The cone also provides umbrella protection to the tendon transplant as it is navigated through the tendon sheath.

In a previous issue Hand & Footnotes reviewed the classic Bunnell passer. This year a modified version includes a suture hole at the leading, probe end. Now, the surgeon can alternately pass the probe in a distal-to-proximal direction, suture the transfer to the probe while it is still in place, and pull it back through the passage just probed.

It is not clear if Dr. Bunnell had originally intended it to be so, but to some the finger platform, located about two-thirds of the way down the shaft, have been a bit too wide. This sometimes made it difficult to pass the probe through restricted spaces. Platforms on our current model have been trimmed back to a more reasonable width.

Hand & Footnotes, Vol. 1, No. 4