A Clock Spring to Remove a Bladder Stone: The Story of Francken
A clock spring, a silk bag and an unexpected idea to help a patient.
Around three centuries ago, surgeon Johan Herman Francken sought a way to remove a bladder stone without injuring his patient with forceps. His account connects a clockmaker’s workshop with a small silk pouch and an ingenious solution.
Sources and image credits
- Francken’s account, published in 1733; translation by M. A. van Andel reproduced in EAU, De Historia Urologiae Europaeae, vol. 1, PDF pp. 107–109. The reported outcome is attributed to this historical account.
- Modern stone baskets: Jens Cordes, Felix Nguyen, Birgit Lange, Ralf Brinkmann and Dieter Jocham, “Damage of Stone Baskets by Endourologic Lithotripters: A Laboratory Study of 5 Lithotripters and 4 Basket Types”, Advances in Urology (2013), article 632790, Figure 1. CC BY. Photograph scaled on a designed background; no alteration of the instruments. https://doi.org/10.1155/2013/632790
- Historical clock: Thomas Tompion, Traveling clock watch with alarm, ca. 1680. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, object 17.190.1512, Gift of J. Pierpont Morgan, 1917. CC0 via Met Open Access. Images cropped and scaled. A period reference, not Francken’s own clock. https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/194104
Historical recreation
The cover, historical scenes and narration are AI-assisted recreations. They are not original footage or recordings. Historical instruments are interpreted from the account rather than presented as verified surviving objects.
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