Akron daily Democrat. [volume] (Akron, Ohio) 1892-1902, 1900-11-14
SURGEONS THREAD.
MATERIALS THAT ARE USED TO SEW
UP CUTS AND WOUNDS.


ments and Needles and a--Great
Variety of stitches Used In Life
saving Operations.
Imagine tailor who deliberately
plans to have the stitches he so careful
ly sews give way at certain time.
Suppose he should use one kind Of
thread In coat warranted to break in
one week, another kind in the trousers
guaranteed to fall apart in a month
and using permanent material only in
making up waistcoat. Yet this Is ex-
actly what the surgeon does every day.
Sutures, as the surgeons thread Is call
ed, are made from various materials,
according to the requirements. Catgut,
silk thread, silkworm gut, silver wire.
kangaroo tendons and horsehair are in
common use.
Catgut was at one time obtained
from members Of the feline tribe. AS
its use increased the supply ran short.
Experiments showed that sheep fur
nished an acceptable substitute. So
catgut used by cons, jewelers. and
makers Of mus Instruments comes
now from the mucosa, or middle
layer of the IL ,ue of sheep. 1t is
the most com l.Jnly used of all sutur-
ing material. Catgut stitches are alb
sorbed in from five to seven days, de-
pending on the individual upon whom
they are used In occasional instances
catgut stitches have been known to be
absorbed in 36 hours. By treating it
with chronic acid such a suture will
remain in position for many weeks.
Because Of its adaptability and the
cheapness of the material catgut heads
the list of surgical threads.
Silkworm gut can be more thorough
ly sterilized than any other known
suture material. In preparing sutures
of all sorts the usual method is to boil
the material in ether, allow it to soak
for "a hours, then place 1t in alcohol
for day or two and follow this with
a bath of mercury solution. Notwith-
standing this thorough cleansing, the
microscope reveals germs still present
in varying numbers in many instances.
Silkworm sutures show fewer micro
organisms than other materials treated
in this way; hence it is highly recon-
mended for surgical work. The mate
rial is extracted from a silkworm killed
Immediately before 1t begins / weave
Its cocoon. Unfortunately for sur
geons, silkworm sutures are not alb
sorbed, but remain permanently in
place. For this reason it's use is re-
stricted to special work
The short, tough tendons taken from
the tail of kangaroo furnish surgeons
with valuable thread. Kangaroo ten
don stitches will hold fast for many
days. The time of absorption is esti-
mated from four weeks to two months.
Horsehair and silver wire sutures are
nonabsorbable. The fluids of the body
do not affect them in any way, and
once in place the stitches will remain
until forcibly removed. BY some it is
asserted that silver wire has distinct
nntiseptlc properties. Nitrate of silver
In solution Is known to be good ger
micide. Hence 1t is argued that sill
yer salt Injurious. to germ development
Is formed by the contact of body fluids
with silver wire. Thus stitch assesses
are said to be of rare occurrence when
silver wire Is utilized.
Silk thread. such as Is used by tai
lors, but Of the finest quality and of
larger callber, ia frequently used. The
stitches are practically nonabsorbable
though AT times no trace of the thread
has been found in the tissue ut the eX-
piration of year.
| To accommodate this assortment of
/ threads special varieties of needles are
naturally required. A surgeons "house-
wife" contains needles that would
scarcely be recognized as such by the
uninitlated. Besides the needles curv-
ed in different segments of circle
surgeons use needles shaped like
spears, javellns and bayonet points
/ Some are as long as bodkins, terminate
ing in a point like a miniature knife
blade. Others have the sharpened END
giles sharpened to razor edge. Some
few are formed like ordinary sewing
needles, but made Of greater tensile
strength.
Instead Of thimble a surgeon uses
an instrument called a needle holder
1t is shaped like pair of scissors, tht
points Of which are blunt clamps. The
needle is held fast between the jaws
of the clamps until released by opening
the two blades as scissors are opened
Then fresh hold is taken, and the ac
tion repeated with every stitch.
A skillful surgeon has perfect com
mand of the needle mt all times. Their,
are moments during an operation whei
a well placed stitch means saving til,
life of a patient. At such times tn,
skillful surgeon displays celebrity ant
deftness not surpassed in embroidery.
The surgeon relies upon certail
stitches for different needs, just as tn
dressmaker picks and chooses amonl
the various forms of stitching. Th
hemstltch, catstitch, whalebone. her
ringbone, running stitch and back han'
so dear TO the feminine fingers hav
their counterparts In the surgeon
mattress suture, interrupted and con
tinuous suture. subcutlcular suture
purse string and figure eight sutures
Lembert and CZerney sutures. AS tn
seamstress selects an appropriat
stitch for n seam. n buttonhole or nj
edging, so the surgeon chooses In form
ing his life saving stitches.-New Yorl