The History of the Meagher Ovary Flute
Though there is a Meagher County in Montana - named after the first governor of the territory who mysteriously disappeared from a riverboat in 1867 - the name Meagher (Irish origin, pronounced "mar") in this instance refers to a very good client from my early years of practice. Mr. Meagher would buy small groups of heifers from saleyards and insist that I spay them. The inspiration to build an instrument came from the irritation of having to do a lot of preparation work just to spay a few heifers. I thought, "Why not have an instrument that I could use as easily as an insemination pipette to save time and not leave marks on the flank?" About the time I asked that question, the cattle market went sour, Mr. Meagher lost his shirt, the Kimberling-Rupp tool was introduced, and there seemed little need for another instrument.
As my practice grew, I started to do more veterinary work for larger beef operators as well as saleyard work. Many clients expressed an interest in having heifers spayed using the vaginal approach, but frankly, I was afraid of the K-R device. It appeared too easy to cut more than just an ovary (maybe the tip of a finger!). Horror stories of cattle losses due to the improper use of the instrument also intimidated me. I stayed with the "flank method" and left the vaginal approach to the brave and dexterous.
Beef producers with small herds and poor facilities for spaying heifers eventually forced me to rethink the possibilities of constructing an instrument that could be safely used under substandard conditions. Emboldened by a book called "Patent It Yourself" published by Nolo Press, I started to write a simple patent for my idea as I developed a prototype. After sharing the concept with a colleague, Dr. Chuck Slyngstad of Headwaters Veterinary in Three Forks, Montana, he seemed very enthused about the instrument and offered to pay a machinist to build two newer models of the instrument if he could have one. It was Chuck's persistent prodding and willingness to test the prototypes that kept me moving forward until we worked out the kinks. He sold a couple of the early prototypes to some associates and seems quite satisfied to continue to use one of the prototypes.
The instrument is unique enough in design and application that I was granted a patent on it (U.S. Patent #5997551). A machine shop in Bozeman, Montana, manufactured our first 100 instruments to carefully crafted specifications. Initially, the Meagher Ovary Flute was offered to veterinarians in Montana, Idaho, and Wyoming. Now I want to make it available to bovine practitioners throughout the U.S. There are probably not enough practitioners interested in having an instrument to market it through regular distribution channels, so I have chosen a more direct approach. The design and quality of the Meagher Ovary Flute will speak for itself amongst veterinarians that are searching for ways to expand services to beef producers.
If you have any further questions or comments, feel free to send me an email.