1743 tr. L. Heister I. i. v. 58 Where the Intestines are so inflated, that it is impossible to get the probe end of the Knife [L. scalpellum], or a Conductor into the Abdomen, then [etc.].
1863 T. B. Curling (ed. 3) ix. 101 Using the probe end of the director as a guide, the surgeon may make an external artificial opening.
1993 (Nexis) 19 Apr. 49 The surgeon can call up interior 3-D images of the patient's brain by touching the probe end of the operating arm to certain places on the patient's head.