Greek, ὑπάλειπτρον, σπαθομήλη; Latin, spathomele (Theodorus Priscianus), spathomela (Marcellus); German, Spatelsonde.
Almost every medical writer mentions the spathomele. It consists of a long shaft with an olivary point at one end and a spatula at the other. Galen (Lex.) calls the one στρόγγυλον μήλην, the other μήλη πλατεῖα. It was a pharmaceutical rather than a strictly surgical instrument. The olive end was used for stirring medicaments, the spatula for spreading them on the affected part or on lint. Galen (xiii. 466) says that certain applications are to be softened in the hand with rosaceum by means of the spathomele (μαλάξας ἐπὶ τῆς χειρὸς διὰ σπαθομήλης).
Marcellus frequently refers to it as used for stirring liquids in a vessel:
Immo manu vel digitis moderantibus paulatim insperges et adsidue spathomela commovebis et permiscebis, post haec omnia mittes oleum chamaemelinum, et iterum igni non nimio adposita olla lente et paulatim decoques medicamen, ita ut illud manu non contingas, sed spathomela agites (vii. 19).
In xiv. 44 he mentions a spathomele of copper:
Oportet autem moveri aquam ipsam rudicula vel spathomela aeris rubri.
The following passage from Theodorus Priscianus refers to its use for applying ointment to an affected part:
Si veluti carbunculus innatus fuerit, lycium cum melle contritum suppono frequenter per diem et spathomela temptante (Euporiston, xxvii).
Aetius (II. iv. 16) directs a particular medicament to be rubbed in and to be scraped off after a moderate space of time with a spathomele (τῇ σπαθομήλῃ).
The spathomele was used by painters for preparing and mixing their colours. The very large numbers in which they are found would indicate that their use was not confined to medical men.