The new forceps are presented
In February 1874, Berendt Vedeler demonstrated the new forceps at a meeting of the Norwegian Medical Society (10). This is the first and only detailed account of the Sandborg-Vedeler forceps. At the time, Vedeler was a senior registrar at the Maternity Hospital in Christiania (now Oslo). His talk was published over 15 pages in the Norsk Magazin for Lægevidenskaben and included four woodcut illustrations (10). The presentation is thorough and filled with technical detail.
Vedeler stated that, with the help of Dr Sandborg, he had created several versions of the forceps (10, p. 55). It is unclear how many variants were produced, but based on the available images, there appear to be at least five.
Since there were already 300 different types of obstetric forceps in existence, another addition might have seemed superfluous, Vedeler noted. However, the sheer number was perhaps clear evidence that 'the goal intended to be achieved with the forceps had still not been reached'. One of the illustrations showed a sketch of the instrument, indicating the English lock (characterised by a right-angled groove on each arm at the crossing point) (3), the size of the handle and the shortest blade (10, p. 55).
In a discussion at the Norwegian Medical Society five years later, in February 1879, Vedeler stated that he had delivered eight women using the new forceps. The indication was that the foetal head was in a transverse position in the pelvic inlet (11). Vedeler also mentioned the forceps from the Frenchman Tarnier, as he had experience with both, which was rare as these were seldom used in Norway. Vedeler agreed that his own forceps were too difficult for beginners to use, but he firmly believed that forceps should not be designed to suit the needs of the novice (11, p. 35). Many new forceps proved challenging to handle, including Kielland's forceps, which were introduced more than 30 years later (7).
At a meeting in May 1879, a letter was read aloud from the other inventor, Sandborg, in which he asked the chairman to present two pairs of forceps, the design of which he would explain at a later date (12). They had been designed in the winter of 1872/73, and were to be applied in the oblique and transverse positions respectively: 'Dr Vedeler, at the time the forceps were being designed, took a great interest in the idea and has since sought to gain experience of their practical application, which he has already commented on on several occasions'. However, a review of the proceedings up to the time of Sandborg's death in 1907 reveals no further mention of the forceps. It is also unclear why Sandborg wanted to present the forceps again, since Vedeler had already demonstrated them in 1874.
In 1906, Sandborg demonstrated the forceps to the newly appointed professor of gynaecology, Kristian Brandt (1859–1932), who became interested and accepted them as a gift to the Maternity Hospital, 'where they are now preserved and held in high regard' (13). Brandt believed they were 'far ahead of their time' and that Sandborg 'demonstrated a deep understanding of the mechanism of childbirth and exceptional mechanical skill'. Brandt noted that Sandborg himself had presented the forceps to the Norwegian Medical Society back in 1872 (14, vol. 4, p. 629), but without much interest from the audience and without the reference being officially recorded (13). Brandt attributed the lukewarm reception to the fact that the inventors were Norwegian – 'after all, they weren't from Edinburgh, London, Paris or Vienna'. Because of the lack of enthusiasm, Sandborg had set the forceps aside and turned his attention to other matters, until, the year before his death, he brought them out again. 'He was pleased when I told him that I planned to demonstrate them to an expert audience at the Nordic Surgical Meeting here in the city this summer', wrote Brandt (13).
Brandt did not, however, become a spokesperson for the forceps. He was the dominant figure in Norwegian gynaecology, but he did not mention the Sandborg-Vedeler forceps in his textbook on obstetrics published four years later (15). Neither did he mention Kielland's forceps, despite them being used internationally (7). He believed that the Scottish obstetrician Simpson's forceps met all reasonable requirements and saw no need for alternatives (7).
The protocol from the university's obstetrics collection has been preserved, but it was discontinued in 1898, so the only reference to the 1906 donation we have is Brandt's letter. The protocol shows that there were already eight pairs of the Sandborg-Vedeler forceps in the collection – two different models – that had been 'found at a scrap dealer'. This collection is currently housed in the National Medical Museum at the Norwegian Museum of Science and Technology, and a search in the Digital Museum yields two results for the Sandborg-Vedeler forceps. They are listed as Sandborg-Vedeler forceps no. 2 (16) and no. 3 (17), both produced in 1874.