A tongue depressor is a device used in medical practice to depress the tongue to allow for examination of the mouth and throat. The most common modern tongue depressors have thin wooden blade, smoothed and rounded at both ends, but historically tongue depressors have been made of a variety of materials. Since they are inexpensive and difficult to clean, wooden tongue depressors are normally labeled for disposal after a single use.

Hobbyists and teacher

Teacher

A teacher or schoolteacher is a person who provides education for pupils and students . The role of teacher is often formal and ongoing, carried out at a school or other place of formal education. In many countries, a person who wishes to become a teacher must first obtain specified professional...

s have found a multitude of uses for tongue depressors (sometimes called "craft sticks" or "Meyerhoffer sticks") in their projects. Tongue depressors may be used to form so-called "stick bombs

Stick bomb

A stick bomb is a mechanical spring-loaded device constructed out of flat sticks woven together under tension. Other names for stick bombs include Chinese stick puzzles, and frame bombs.-Brief history:...

".

Earlier versions of depressors were made from balsa, pine or redwood woods. Instances exist from the American Civil War, made from wood and metal.