A hand-held manual surgical instrument designed to excise a segment of tissue (typically in the form of a thin disc of several millimetres in diameter) from the spinal cord and/or associated tissues. It is typically made of metal and includes a moveable two-part cutting mechanism at the distal end operated by an articulated handle. The device may have mechanisms designed for straight, downward, or upward cutting; it may be dedicated to perform anterior cervical discectomy and/or laminectomy. This is a reusable device.