The mutilation shears were used not as a primary torture implement, but rather as something of a ‘clean-up’ device. After a prisoner’s fingers or toes had been thoroughly crushed by other means, the mutilation shears were employed to cut the broken extremity from the body.
Trivia & Comment
The side screw was used to increase the force between the shears, as it is surprisingly difficult to cut through some tendons and even more so through bone.
