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An instrument for accurately laying hold of a needle, and giving it greater length, when it is so fine and small that it cannot be held by the fingers. It is of steel or silver, about two inches long, and throughout the whole, almost, of its length, divided into two branches, so as to form a kind of forceps, capable of being closed by means of a sliding ring. A modification of this instrument was devised by Dr. Physick for taking up deep-seated arteries beyond the reach of a tenaculum or common needle. It consists of a forceps so constructed as to hold in its extremity a needle armed with a ligature. The handles of the forceps are fastened together, temporarily, by a spring or catch; and, when the needle is fairly deposited beneath the vessel, it is disengaged from the forceps and drawn out, leaving the ligature behind, which can be tied without difficulty.