Thumbscrew (torture) - Wikipedia The thumbscrew (also known as devils handshake)is a torture instrument which was first used in early modern Europe It is a simple vise, sometimes with protruding studs on the interior surfaces Victims' thumbs, fingers, or toes were placed in the vice and slowly crushed
Thumb Screws | McMaster-Carr These metric thumb screws are made of chemical-resistant 18-8 stainless steel Also known as dog- and pilot-point thumb screws, insert the point into a drilled hole or slot to hold items in place
Thumbscrews: Tightening the Thumbs to Loosen the Lips Although recognizable in Spanish history because of its wide use during the Inquisition, thumbscrews could actually be found throughout the medieval European world One rumor holds that the tool started as a punishment used by Russian officers to keep their troops in line
Thumbscrew Torture - Medieval Chronicles The Thumbscrew was considered one of the most notoriously effective tools used to gain a confession from the accused One of its redeeming aspects, in the eyes of the torturers, was that it wasn’t lethal at all and yet it inflicted extraordinary pain on the victim
Thumbscrew Torture Device: What Is It and How Does it Work? The thumbscrew was an instrument of torture that was first used in early modern Europe While the most common thumbscrew model targeted a single thumb or big toe, adaptations allowed for both big toes, all five fingers of a hand or even all ten toes to be subjected to its mechanism
The Thumbscrew: A Gruesome Dive into a Historical Tool of Torture The thumbscrew’s introduction as a means of extracting confessions marked a significant shift in the methods of torture employed by authorities Its gruesome efficacy led to its proliferation across Europe, where it became a symbol of state power and an instrument of terror