Seashell Scalpel

I pondered those fingers severed by razor seashells and was struck by a brilliant idea.

-- Doctor Penelope Naurs

Long before the people of the Southern Glass obtained steel, they had already achieved surgical prowess through their incredibly precise cutting implements. The secret was the shell of the nempher conch which washed upon the glass shores in abundance and whose razor edge never dulled.

Historical Usage

The nempher conch shells were used by the regional Deik-shw and Hezethal people as tools long before the arrival of Helenaphe. Human settlers learned of the dangerous conchs from their predecessors and usually steered clear of them, picking out the rounder-shelled chutha or shellless emury sea slugs.
The use of the shell as a cutting implement first came about in the year 282 when the doctor Penelope Naurs, observing the slug harvesters, wrote in her journal that, "they seem to ignore certain species with a kind of disdain. When I asked about this behavior, they cited the creature's dangerous edges and showed me their several lost fingers. I pondered those fingers severed by razor shells and was struck by a brilliant idea."
Penelope fashioned several prototypes of "seashell scalpels" made from the edge of the nempher conch. The material cut cleaner than silver and had no risk of poisoning the blood. Its usage in surgery was an immediate success. Operations were performed quicker and more successfully and post-surgical complications dropped significantly.
Penelope rose to local fame among the towns of the Southern Glass. A generous person, she shared her technology with others and the demand for seashell scalpels soared. Usage of the nempher conch shell expanded into kitchen cooking and fine crafts. But the tendency of the blade to shatter kept it out of mainstream use as a general cutting tool.

Steel Imports

By 450, the people of Southern Glass were importing steel from Cantra and Helphar and most uses of the shell were replaced. But as a surgical implement, it continued to grow in popularity eventually becoming a staple of first rate doctors and clinics. The Hospital of Demestipher in New Oriole adopted it into its coat-of-arms in 933.

Razor Shells

The nempher conch, and several related species (such as the leinno conch pictured above), have a tightly packed, curled shell which ends in a razor-sharp, splayed lip. The shell is a characteristic shade of pinkish-green. The lip's edge holds long after the conch has perished and harvesters have been known to lose fingers from casual handling of the shells. The edge is similar to ceramic and breaks easily which allows for reshaping and attachment to instruments to form saws, knives, etc.