Evening journal., 1900-11-15
SURGEONS THREAD.
MATERIALS THAT ARE USED TO SEW
UP CUTS AND WOUNDS.

variety of Stitches Used In Life
saving Operations.
Imagine tailor who deliberately /
plans TO have the stitches he so careful /
~ sews give way at a certain time. /
Suppose he should use one kind of
thread in a 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.
Sutmes. as the surgeons thread is call
eel. 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
IT'S use increased the supply ran short.
Experiments showed that sheep 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 sheep. 1t Is
the most commonly used of all sutur-
ing material Catgut stitches are alb
sorbcd i'm 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 3G hours. BY treating it
with chronic acid such a suture viii
remain I'm position for many weeks.
Because Of its adaptablity and the
cheapness Of the material catgut heads
the list of surgical threads.
Silkworm gut can be more thorough
ly stcrilized than any other known
of all sorts the usual method is to boil
the material in ether, allow it to soak
for - hours, then place it in alcohol
for a day or two and follow this with
a bath of mercury solution. NOtwith-
standing this thorough cleansing, the
microscope reveals germs still present
I'm varying numbers i'm many instances.
SillWorm sutures show fewer micro
organisms than other materials treated
in this way; hence it is highly recon-
mcndcd for surgical work. The mate
rial is extracted from a silllworm killed
Immediately before it begins to weave
, its cocoon Unfortunately for sur
gcons. silllworm sutures are not alb
] sorhcd. but remain permanently in
place For this reason its use is re-
? stricted TO special work
The short, tough tendons taken from
r the tail of a kangaroo furnish surgeons
o. with a valuable thread. Kangaroo ten
, don stitches will hold fast for many
1 days The time of absorption is esti-
, mated from four weeks TO two months.
. IIorschair and silver wire sutures are
nonabsorbahle. The fluids of the body
do not affect them i'm any way, and
I once I'm place the stitches will remain
until forcibly removed. BY some it is
d asserted that silver wire has distinct
/. anuseptic properties. Nitrate Of silver
- I'm solution is known tO be a good ger
. micide Hence it is argued that a sll
p. yer salt injurious to germ development
p is formed 10y the contact of body fluids
r with silver wire. Thus stitch abscesses
4 are said TO he of rare occurrence when
T. silver wire Is utilized.
y SILK thread, such as is used by tai
n lors but OF the finest quality and OF
+ larger caliher is frequently used. TIL,
r stitches are practically nonabsorhable
II though at times no trace of the threat
If has been found in the tissue at the eX
q piration of "a year
~ To accommodate this assortment Of
II threads special varieties of needles are
4 naturally required a surgeons "house
.N1. l..
scarcely he recognized as such by the
q unnitiatcd. Resides the needles curv
p ed i'm different segments of a circle
"A surgeons use needles shaped lil0
~ spears. iavelins and bayonet points
Some are as long as bodkins. terminal
ing I'm point like miniature knit
blade. Others have the sharpened enl
triangular. with the apices of the an
10 giles sharpened To q razor edge. Som
81 few are formed like ordinary sewin
m needles hut made of greater tensil
g strength.
a Instead Of thimble q surgeon use
N an instrument called q needle holder
- II is shaped like pair of scissors, tn
~ points of which are blunt clamps. TIL
%. needle is held fast between the jaw
10 of the clamps until released by openin
- Tie two blades as scissors are opened
no Then fresh hold is taken, and the aC
Is tion repeated with every stitch.
~ A sklfu surgeon has perfect CON
~ mand of the needle at all times Their
are moments during an operation whe
we'll placed stitch means saving th
life of patient. At such times tn
M slillful surgeon displays a colerity an
~ dcfrness not surpassed in embroidery.
The surgeon relies upon certai
no stitches for different needs. just as th
N. dressmaker picks ana chooses anon
80 the various forms OF stitching TIL
hemstitch catstitch, whalebone, he
n ringhonc, running stitch and back han
- so dear to the feminine fingers hay
their counterparts in the surgeon
mattress suturc. interrupted and col
tinuous suture subcuticular sutur
purse string and figure eight suture
~. I.embert and CZerney sutures. As Il
Ieamstress selects an appropriat
ctffoh for a cpoun a buftOuhOlp Or n