Abstract: The invention relates to a medical instrument having an elongated shaft, a movable tool at a distal end of the shaft, a handle with a movable grip part at a proximal end of the shaft, and a force transmission element which can be moved in the longitudinal direction of the instrument and is operatively connected to the movable grip part and to the tool such that an actuation of the movable grip part is converted into a movement of the tool. The instrument has a spring assembly that is arranged on the handle and has at least one leg spring, which has at least one winding and two legs, and a pin, wherein the at least one winding extends about the pin. When the movable grip part is actuated, a force is applied to at least one of the legs of the leg spring, said force reducing the friction between the winding and the pin such that the leg spring can be rotated about the pin and the force transmission element and the tool can be moved.

Abstract: An method for enhanced follicular tissue transplantation and management is provided. Follicular tissue is first obtained from a donor during a dedicated harvesting procedure or as a by-product of another cosmetic surgery procedure, then cryopreserved and stored. When implantation is desired, the cryopreserved tissue is thawed, and the tissue that survived the cryopreservation and thawing processes is implanted in the recipient. In another aspect of the invention, the harvesting process is conducted when the quality of donor follicular tissue is as optimal as possible, and is stored in cryopreserved form until the donor requires implantation thereof, such that the newly implanted thawed follicular tissue is of higher quality than the recipient's current follicular tissue. In yet another aspect of the present invention, a method for managing the business aspects of the transplantation process, including harvested follicular tissue grading, cataloguing and banking is provided.