Forceps

[citation needed] Outside biology and medicine, people usually refer to forceps as tweezers, tongs, pliers, clips or clamps.

Some are made of other high-quality stainless steel, chromium and vanadium alloys to ensure durability of edges and freedom from rust.

This provides an extended pinch and allows the user to easily grasp, manipulate and quickly release small objects or delicate tissue with readily variable pressure.

Locking forceps, sometimes called clamps, are used to grasp and firmly hold objects or body tissues, or to apply external compression onto tubular structures such as blood vessels or intestines.

As the forceps are closed, the opposing teeth engage and interlock, keeping the handles adducted and the jaw surfaces clamped constantly.

To unlock, a simple shearing push by the fingers is all that is needed to disengage the teeth and allow the grasping ends to move apart.

They are named for Howard Atwood Kelly, M.D., first professor of obstetrics and gynecology at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine.

Other varieties with similar, if more specialized, uses are Allis clamps, Babcocks, Kochers, Carmalts, and tonsils; all but the last bear the names of the surgeons who designed them.