article_snippet.sent: But while there is still conjecture about the real reasons behind the mysterious procedure, what is known is that the implement often used to carry out the primitive surgery was made from one of the sharpest substances found in nature -- obsidian.
article_snippet.sent: Obsidian -- a type of volcanic glass -- can produce cutting edges many times finer than even the best steel scalpels.
article_snippet.sent: At 30 angstroms -- a unit of measurement equal to one hundred millionth of a centimeter -- an obsidian scalpel can rival diamond in the fineness of an obsidian scalpel edge.
article_snippet.sent: When you consider that most household razor blades are 300-600 angstroms, obsidian can still cut most household razor blades are 300-600 angstroms with the sharpest materials nano-technology can produce.
article_snippet.sent: The biggest advantage with obsidian is that it is the sharpest edge there is, it causes very little trauma to tissue, it heals faster and more importantly it heals with less scarring," Dr. Green said.
article_snippet.sent: Dr. Green explained that steel scalpels at a microscopic level have a rough cutting edge that tears into tissue, a function of the crystals that make up the metal.
article_snippet.sent: Obsidian, meanwhile, cleaves into a fine and continuous edge when properly cut.
article_snippet.sent: Modern obsidian scalpels look nothing like the decorative flint-knapped knives of Neolithic man, often resembling the decorative flint-knapped knives of Neolithic man modern counterparts in everything except for the blade edge, but Dr. Green said the decorative flint-knapped knives of Neolithic man are a very different animal.
article_snippet.sent: If you look under the microscope at a steel scalpel edge you look under the microscope at a steel scalpel edge looks almost like a saw, you look under the microscope at a steel scalpel edge has teeth, whereas obsidian is smooth even microscopically.
article_snippet.sent: In Germany, the manufacturer Fine Science Tools produces obsidian scalpels which can be used in situations where the patient may have an allergy to steel or metal.
article_snippet.sent: For studies where trace metals from ordinary scalpel blades cannot be tolerated, these very special obsidian scalpels may provide the answer," the company says.
article_snippet.sent: At €99 per scalpel ($107.40), these very special obsidian scalpels represent a considerable saving on these very special obsidian scalpels diamond cousins which the company prices at €712.50 ($772.60).
article_snippet.sent: But there has been little academic research into the efficacy of obsidian blades compared to steel scalpels, and these very special obsidian scalpels do have disadvantages: Obsidian scalpels are not Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved, and Obsidian scalpels are extremely brittle and prone to breaking if lateral forces are applied -- meaning Obsidian scalpels are unlikely to ever be in widespread use.
highlights_snippet.sent: Obsidian can produce cutting edges many times finer than even the best steel scalpels .
  