The earliest known scissors appeared in Mesopotamia 3,000 to 4,000 years ago. However, pivoted scissors of bronze or iron, in which the blades were pivoted at a point between the tips and the handles, the direct ancestor of modern scissors, were invented by the Romans around 100 AD.
Snub nosed scissors, Lister bandage scissors, bandage shears, bandage scissors, tape scissors, medical scissors: these terms all refer to a jointed instrument used for cutting, which has a flattened lower blade or mandible that protrudes longer than the blunt-nosed upper blade. Additionally, the angle of the distal portion of the scissors commonly is modified to allow manipulation of the handles of the scissors while the cutting edges remains flush along the surface of the underlying structures. This specific shape was engineered in order to protect underlying structures from being inadvertently injured while tape or bandages were being cut and removed.
With the advent of adhesive strapping tape and its use by sports physiotherapists the snub nosed scissors became a useful tool in the clinic to remove the tape in a quick and less painful manner.
Description provided by Sarah Marshall of Canada
