probang

[proh-bang]

noun

Surgery.

1. a long, slender, elastic rod with a sponge, ball, or the like, at the end, to be introduced into the esophagus or larynx, as for removing foreign bodies, or for introducing medication.

probang

/ ˈprəʊbæŋ /

noun

1. surgery a long flexible rod, often with a small sponge at one end, for inserting into the oesophagus, as to apply medication

Word History and Origins

Origin of probang¹

1650–60; alteration (by association with probe ) of provang, unexplained coinage of the inventor

Word History and Origins

Origin of probang¹

C17: variant, apparently by association with _probe , of provang, name coined by W. Rumsey (1584–1660), Welsh judge, its inventor; of unknown origin

Example Sentences

A flexible probang, or in default of it, a rattan, or grape-vine, with a knot on the end, may be gently forced down the gullet, and the gas thus permitted to escape.

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If not, it may usually be forced down with the flexible probang, described in “Cattle and their Diseases,” or a flexible rod, the head of which is guarded by a knot, or a little bag of flax-seed.

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Formerly it was necessary, in making applications to the fauces, to employ the brush or probang for those too young to use the gargle, but hand-atomizers, as Richardson's or Delano's, which are now in common use, afford a quick and easy method for making such applications.

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Probang, prō′bang, n. an instrument for pushing obstructions down the œsophagus of a choking animal.

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The probang should be a tube of thick but elastic leather, and it may be passed into the mouth, through an aperture in a block, placed on edge between the teeth, which is easily done while a person holds the head of the animal firmly.

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