Woodblock illustration of surgical instruments/ instruments of external medicine from Waike xinfa zhenyan zhinan (Guide to Tried and True Methods at the Heart of External Medicine), published in 1887 (13th year of the Guangxu reign period of the Qing dynasty). The bamboo pipe shown here was used to extract pus from lesions. From the colour and consistency of the pus, the doctor could deduce the state of the disease, and predict whether the outcome would be favourable or not. The pipe was placed over the opening of the wound and held steady with the right hand, while the central plunger was pulled back with the left hand, sucking the pus up into the tube.
