The Fulton County news. [volume] (McConnellsburg, Pa.) 1899-current, 1900-10-25
SURGEONS THREAD.
MATERIALS THAT ARE USED TO SEW
UP CUTS AND WOUNDS.

''FAhH operations.
Imagine tailor who deliberately
plans to have the stitches he so careful
~ sews give way at certain time.
suppose he should use one kind of
thread In Il coat warranted to break in
one week, another kind in the trousers
guaranteed to fail apart in n month
ana using permanent material only i'm
making up waistcoat Yet this is ex-
acty what the surgeon does every day.
Sutures, as the surgeons thread is call
cu, are made from various materials,
according to the requirements. Catgut
SILK thread, silkworm gut, silver wire,
kangaroo tendons and horsehalr are I'm
common use.
Catgut was at one time obtained
from members of the feline tribe. AS
It's use Increased the supply ran short.
Experiments showed that sheen fur
nished an acceptable substitute. So
catgut used by surgeons, jewelers. and
makers of musical Instruments comes
now from the submucosa. or middle
layer of the intestine of a sheep. 1t is
the most commonly 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 80 hours. BY treating 1t
with chronic acid such a suture will
remain in position for many weeks.
Because of It's 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 1t to soak
for "a hours, then place 1t In alcohol
for Il day or two and follow this with
bath of mercury solution. Notwlth-
standing this thorough cleansing, the
microscope reveals germs still present
in varying numbers i'm many instances.
SilkwOrm suturcs show fewer micro
organisms than other materials treated
In this way, hence it is highly recon-
rial is extracted from a silkworm killed
Immediately before it begins to weave
its cocoon. Unfortunately for sur
gcOns, sllkworm sutures are not alb
sorbed, but remain permanently in
place. For this reason its use Is re-
stricted to special work.
The short, tough tendons taken from
the tail of a 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 1t is
asserted that silver wire has distinct
/ nntiseptic properties. Nitrate of silver
/ In solution Is known to be good GER
/ micide. Hence it 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 calber, Is frequently used. The
stitches are practically nonabsorbable,
has been found in the tissue at 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
uninitiated. Besides the needles curry
ed In different segments of circle
surgeons use needles shaped like
spears. javelns and bayonet points
Some are as long as bodkins, terminate
ing in point like miniature knife
blade. Others have the sharpened enc
triangular, with the aplces of the an
giles sharpened to n razor edge. Some
few are formed like ordinary sewing
needless but made of greater tensile
strength.
Instead of thimble n 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 openint
the two blades as scissors are opened
Then fresh hold is taken, and the ac
ton repeated with every stitch.
A sklllful surgeon has perfect com
mand of the needle at all times. Their
are moments during an operation whel
we'll placed stitch means saving th'
life of a patient. At such times tn
slllllful surgeon displays celerlty an'
deftness not surpassed In embroidery.
The surgeon relies upon certail
stitches for different needs, Just az tn
dressmaker picks and chooses amoni
the various forms of stitching. tn
hemstitch, catstltch, whalebone, heI
ringbone, running stitch and back han'
so dear to the feminine fingers hav
their counterparts in the surgeon
mattress suture interrupted and con
tlnuous suture subcuticular suturt
purse string and figure eight suture'
Lembert ana Czerney sutures. AS III
geamstress selects an appropriat
stitch for n seam, n buttonhole or Il
edging, so the surgeon chooses in forn
Ing his life saving stitches.-New Yor
Sun.
Her Way.
"Is Georgiana a sympathetic friend :
"Well, when she praises anything