... the TONGUE DEPRESSOR.
Okay, well it may not be my #1 favorite... because honestly, what would a doctor do without their stethoscope?! But the tongue depressor is a pretty close second.
Why? It's just a wooden stick, is it really that helpful?
Well yes, in fact it is!
1. First the obvious reason for which it was made - to examine the mouth and throat.
2. I can hand it to babies and it will distract them, keeping those little hands from grabbing my stethoscope while I listen to their heart and lungs.
3. I can assess neurologic development just by watching a baby interact with a tongue depressor: hand-eye coordination, visual accommodation, and object permanence; among other things.
4. I can break it in half and use it to assess sensation (using the broken end as "sharp" and the unbroken end as "dull").
5. I can also use a broken tongue depressor to scrape skin lesions for lab testing.
6. It can work as a makeshift finger splint.
And then there are the non-medical uses for tongue depressors. You can make fun arts & crafts projects. You can use it to stir your coffee. The possibilities are endless!
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