Improvements in Means for Preserving Surgical Ligaments and the like and for Indicating the Presence of Microbes therein.
Year: 1894

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Means for Preserving Surgical Ligaments and the
like and for Indicating the Presence of Microbes therein.
I, CHARLES REPIN, residing at 58 Rue Jacob, Paris, Department de la Seine,
Republic of France, Doctor of Medicine, do hereby declare the nature of this
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly
described and ascertained in and by the following statement :-
My invention has reference to means for preserving surgical ligaments and like
articles and also for indicating the presence of microbes therein.
Hitherto the threads used for stitching wounds, made either of catgut or fishgut,
and also the indiarubber tubes employed for the purpose of draining wounds, have
been supplied by the manufacturers in flasks or glass tubes such flasks or tubes also
containing an antiseptic liquid for the purpose of destroying any microbes which
the threads or other objects might contain and thus preventing contamination of
the flesh.
It has been found however in practice that this end is not attained and that the
microbes remain alive, their development being only checked for the time being by
the antiseptic liquid which also conceals their presence thus rendering surgeons
liable to poisonously inoculate patients whilst applying the ligaments. This
invention then, has for its particular object to remedy this serious disadvantage.
It consists in abolishing the antiseptic solution in favour of media specially
prepared to favour the growth of microbes. This favourable media rapidly
developes such microbes as may be present in the ligaments or other appliances
immersed therein their presence causes the liquid to become turbid thus revealing
their presence to the surgeon and the consequent unfitness of the threads or other
appliances for surgical purposes. If on the contrary the media remains limpid the
fact of the immersed apparatus being free from microbes is assured.
"
To apply this system the ligaments or other appliances are first sterilized by being
inserted in flasks or tubes which are then placed in a
"digester or hot air bath.
Then to each flask is added the medium intended for the development of the
microbes, said medium having itself been previously sterilized with all the usual
precautions required to avoid contamination through the germs contained in the
atmosphere. The flasks or tubes are then hermetically sealed.
The liquid (which might also be placed in the tubes before sterilization) is one
of those used in laboratories for the culture of microbes, for instance broth to
which peptones have been added. The composition of this liquid varies considerably
but its precise component parts are not essential to my invention so long as it is
favourable to germ development.
The media may also be solidified by the addition of a small quantity of gelatine
or like substance.
Having now particularly described the nature of my said invention and in what
manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I claim is :-
:―
Means for the preservation of threads used for stitching wounds, and other
surgical apparatus, and indicating the presence of microbes therein such means
consisting in sterilizing the threads, or other apparatus, and placing them in tubes
or flasks containing media favourable to the development of microbes which media
Price 8d1

page_text: has itself been sterilized and then herinetically sealing the tubes the subsequent
turbid or limpid appearance of the media indicating the presence or absence of the
microbes.
Dated this 20th day of September 1894.
JOHN P. O'DONNELL,
70 & 71, Palace Chambers, Bridge Street, Westminster, S.W.,
Agent for the said Applicant.