A scarce Aesculap Stainless Surgical Retractor & Ligature Set in a Steriliser Box, c1940. Compact mid‑century German surgical set by Aesculap, housed in its original oval stainless‑steel steriliser box, the lid crisply stamped with the crowned staff and snake AESCULAP logo. Inside is a set of flat retractors together with a central spring‑loaded rail carrying a run of small metal clips, used to hold back soft tissue and secure ligatures during open procedures before and after suturing. The set shows honest theatre use with light marks and staining to metal surfaces but remains complete and fully mobile; the spring rail still tensions and the box closes securely. Offered strictly as a historical medical collector’s piece and display item only, not for modern clinical use. A nicely preserved example of mid‑20th‑century Aesculap instrumentation that would display well in any medical or surgical collection.