A surgical scalpel is presented which combines the attributes of cost-effectiveness in design while being ambidextrous and autoclavable. The design of the device affords left handed or right handed medical personnel with the feel, weight and balance of the original metal unguarded scalpel, while maintaining safety through the shielding of the blade during non-use and the ability to dispose of the blade in a safe controlled manner without having to place ones hands near the unguarded sharp. Surgeons of either dexterity are able to learn and operate using similar techniques and instruments heretofore not available to them. No longer must a left handed surgeon be forced into the right handed world to perform surgery. The device is designed to use existing styles of blades currently available without needing costly inventories of specially created blades for the multitude of other such devices on the market.
