Axenfeld Retractor

Axil Falk Axenfeld (1859–1941) was an Austrian gynecologist, obstetrician and laryngologist, widely known for the development and use of his own retractor. This instrument belongs to a class of medical instruments used in medicine to open the vaginal canal or skin tissue. Axenius Axelson Axenfeld was born on February 23, 1855 in Shiga, Sweden. He received his medical education at Stockholm University and worked first at the University of Vienna and then at the University of Krakow. In 1886, Axenfeld moved to Vienna, where he worked for several years with the legendary obstetrician Ludwig Ronald Hugov. Since 1890, the scientist began to actively engage in the development and creation of a new instrument that would be an excellent addition to the methods of childbirth care. During the first hundred years of use, retractors were used simultaneously in both labor and surgery. However, already in the 60s of the 20th century, obstetrics moved into the phase of mass use of obstetric forceps during childbirth.