The Worshipful Company of Cutlers
SURGICAL PRIZE
For Advances in Surgical Treatment Utilising Modern
Technologies
THE ANCIENT GUILDS OF THE CITY OF LONDON
The ancient guilds of the City of London, more commonly referred to as livery
companies, continue to flourish after a history of more than a thousand years. They
were first established to regulate the various crafts and trades and at the same time
created a common fellowship. Each member subscribed to a common fund; hence
is derived the word gild or guild from guildan ('to pay').
THE CUTLERS' COMPANY
The first mention of the Cutlers' Company seems to be the reference in 1285 to
the 'House of the Cutlers' which stood near the site of the present Mercers' Hall in
Ironmonger Lane in the City of London. It is apparent that early in the 13th century
the Cutlers were an organised craft and ruled under Articles granted by the Mayor
and Aldermen. The business activities conducted from the House were many and
defined as the making of swords, daggers, rapiers, hangers, wood knives,
penknives, razors, surgeons instruments, skeynes, hilts, pommels, battle-axes,
halberts, etc. Many crafts were involved, each with its own organisation and
ordinances. The word 'cutler' is derived from the Latin coutellarius and the French
coutelier and signifies a maker or seller of knives or other cutting instruments. The
art has existed from the earliest times, when weapons for domestic use and
warfare were fashioned from stone, flint, wood and bone; later, stone was replaced
by bronze, and later still, by iron and steel.
SURGICAL INSTRUMENTS
The Company has a long connection with the manufacture of surgical instruments and
for the last hundred years has maintained its interest by fostering apprenticeships in
the surgical instrument-making industry.
THE CUTLERS’ SURGICAL PRIZE
The Cutlers' Surgical Prize was instituted in 1981 and has become established as
one of the most prestigious annual prizes for innovation in the design or application
of surgical instruments or surgical techniques. It consists of an elegant mounted
Victorian silver-gilt medal, together with an award of £2,500 to the winner or winning
team. The presentation is made at a dinner held at Cutlers' Hall in the spring of
each year.
Each year the specialist associations, in conjunction with The Royal College of
Surgeons of England, choose a clinician (or a team including a clinician) who has
performed outstanding work in the field of instrumentation or technical development
in any branch of patient investigation or treatment. The person(s) selected will be
recommended to the Worshipful Company of Cutlers for approval and for the award
of the Cutlers' Surgical Prize.
APPLICATION PROCESS
Applications are now invited for the 2016 award. Each application should be
submitted on the form provided and should be in regard to one specific instrument or
technique. Major modification of an existing instrument or technique will be
considered.
Applications (6 copies) should be in the form of a scientific paper with a maximum
of 3,000 words, supported by illustrations and/or photographs. A video is not part of
an application but could be used as supplementary support following short-listing.
The applications must include the following by the closing date:
1. Evidence of originality, innovation, date of development, clinical usage and an
explanation of benefits in patient care and benefit.
2. Written evidence from one or more independent referees as to the surgical
application is essential and must be attached.
Applications should be sent to:
The Clerk
The Worshipful Company of Cutlers
Cutlers' Hall
Warwick Lane
London EC4M 7BR
Tel: 020 7248 1866
Details and application form are available from the Royal College of Surgeons
website at www.rcseng.ac.uk/surgical awards and grants and the Worshipful
Company of Cutlers website at www.cutlerslondon.co.uk/charities
The closing date for receipt of applications is 31 October 2015.
The Award Panel consists of:
The President of The Royal College of Surgeons of England (Chairman)
A senior representative of the Worshipful Company of Cutlers
A specialist advisor to the Royal College of Surgeons
A senior executive of the Royal College of Surgeons
Senior Clinical specialists in the relevant disciplines
Applicants meeting the criteria will be invited to provide a sample of the instrument
and/or a video (where appropriate) after the closing date before the Award Panel
meets.
The person or team recommended to receive the Prize will be invited to attend the
Company’s Surgical Award Dinner in the spring of 2016.
PAST WINNERS OF THE CUTLERS' SURGICAL PRIZE
1982 Mr W J Hoskin BSc (Eng)
for his invention and development of a diamond knife for ophthalmology
1983 Mr B S Ashby MChir FRCS
for the design of a choledocoscope for identifying stones in the gall bladder and
removing them.
1984 Mr L F Tinckler MD ChM FRCS
for the design of instruments for use in urology
1985 Mr J E A Wickham BSc MS FRCS, Mr R A Miller MS FRCS and Herr K Koller
for their development of a triradiate nephroscope for the removal of kidney
stones.
1986 Mr C J K Bulstrode MA FRCS
for his invention of a fasciotomy closure device for closing large wounds.
1987 Dr S J Yentis MB BS
for his invention of an adapter for laryngoscopes
1988 Mr J D Beard BSc FRCS
for his invention of an infusor for measuring peripheral resistance for femorodistal
reconstruction.
1989 Dr A J Hammer MB ChB
for his invention of an electronic device to warn of glove perforation during
surgical procedures.
1990 Mr S S Gill MB FRCS
for his invention of an expansible cannula for chest drain insertion
1991 Mr P J Burn MB ChB FRACS
for his invention of a distal cross-screw drill system for intramedullary nailing for the treatment of bone
fractures.
1992 Mr A W Majeed FRCS (Ed)
for the Sheffield Cholecystoscope and gall bladder stone extraction.
1993 Mr J D Stevens MA MB BChir MRCP FRCS FRCOpth
for his invention of a no-needle one quadrant sub-tenon local anaesthesia technique and cannula
design for extraction.
1994 Mr B Bradnock MB ChB FRCS Ed
for his development of an ultrasonic instrument which can liquefy the cement used to anchor artificial
joints to bone.
1995 Dr E McCoy MB BCh and Dr R Mirakhur PhD MD
for their invention of a laryngoscope with a hinged-top blade designed to minimise
trauma to the patient.
1996 Mr Nigel Morlet MB BS RACO FRACS and Dr Peter Lindsay BSc(Hons) MSc PhD
for their invention of a Keratoscopic Astigmatic Ruler designed to provide a means of assessing
corneal astigmatism induced during surgery.
1997 Ms S Akhtar FRCS and Mr J M Graham FRCS
for the 'Middlesex Mirror'.
1998 Mr M A Lavelle MA BM BV FRCS
for the Illuminating Diathermy Dissector' for use in the operation of anterior
resection of the rectum
1999 Mr D L Murphy MB BS FRACS
for a 'Second Generation Endoscopic Needle Holder' for increasing the ease with which intra-corporeal
suturing and knot tying can be undertaken.
2000 Professor BP Waxman FRACS FRCS
for his invention of an Irrigating Scalpel for the dissection of adhesions in
abdominal surgery.
2001 Mr S Rassam MD, DO, FRCO phth
for his invention of mathematical formulae for the design of micro surgical
instruments for opthalmic surgery.
2002 Mr E Andrews FRCS FRCSI
for a new specifically designed forceps for chest drain insertion.
2003 Mr W Lawrence BSc MB ChB FRCS
for a supra-pubic catheter introducer.
2004 Mr B Thornes FRCSI
for a suture button device for use in conjunction with a new method of ankle
syndemosis fixation.
2005 Mr S Cannon FRCS, Mr T Briggs FRCS, Professor G Blum PhD,
Mr J Meswania BSc I Eng MIIE
for a non-invasive instrument for extending a telescoping endoprosthesis
2006 Mr P Montgomery MB ChB, Mr R Young MD FRCS
for a clip applicator for endoscopic ligation of the sphenopalatine artery.
2007 Dr M Hasan MB ChB DA FRCA, Dr J Roberts BSc MBDS FRCA
for an Epidural anaesthetic device.
2008 Mr G Bates BSc BM BCh FRCS, Mr R Corbridge BSc BM BCh FRCS,
Mr D Costello MA MBBS FRCS
for the Oxford Universal Pouch Scope for the treatment of pharyngeal pouches.
2009 Mr Ashutosh Tewari MD MCh, Gerald Tan MB ChB(Ed) MRCS (ED)
M Med(Surgery) FAMS, Anil Mandhani MD, Sandhya Rao MD
for a urinary diversion device for use in radical prostatectomy
2010 Mr Harith Akram MBChB MRCS, Mr Ian Low FRCS (NS)
for a new stereotactic frame positioning aid
2011 Professor N Williams MS FRCS FMed Sci, Mr L Edwards BSc FRSA
for a circular stapling device and associated instrumentation to effect
innovative techniques for ultra low sphincter saving resection,
and stoma trephine reinforcement to prevent herniation.
2012 Mr M B Izzat FRCS(CTh)
for designing dedicated instruments to facilitate and guide the
implementation of aortic valve repair techniques and new
calibrated cusp sizers to aid aortic assessment in the
operating room.
2013 Professor M Nicholson MD DSc FRCS and Dr S Hosgood
BSc PhD
for jointly developing a system of ex-vivo normothermic
perfusion for kidney transplantation.
2014 Mr. James Ansell Bsc MBBCh MRCS, Dr. Neil Warren PhD, Professor
Paul Sibbons FIBMS PhD FRCPath, Dr. Pete Wall BSc MSc PhD and
Mr. Jared Torkington MS FRCS
for developing the Ultravision visual field clearing system for clearing
surgical smoke by a system of electrostatic precipitation.
2015 Mr. Daniel Saleh MB ChB BSc(Hons) FRCS(Plast), Dr. Andrea Utley PhD
for developing a forcep to improve the accuracy of microsurgery and reduce surgeon fatigue.