Description of the encircling ligature apparatus ... with an account of the various modes of application, and a summary of the comparative merits of the apparatus. Translated from the German, by Fredrick F. Weiss / [Carl Ferdinand von Graefe].

  • Gräfe, C. F. von (Carl Ferdinand), 1787-1840
Date:
1834
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Description of the encircling ligature apparatus ... with an account of the various modes of application, and a summary of the comparative merits of the apparatus. Translated from the German, by Fredrick F. Weiss / [Carl Ferdinand von Graefe]. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    tension, but would cut through the part encircled; and a larger woidd move with difficulty through the eye of the holder, and obstruct the tightening. The eye of the ligature-holder (fig. 4, <2, Ij) could not be more than one line diameter without the holder being too large and heavy; through this aperture the twisted cord of 180 single silk threads, being scarcely half a line diameter, moves easily when doubled. A stronger cord is unne¬ cessary, as a yard of this will bear the application of a force equal to thirty pounds; it is therefore capable of affording more pressure than is at all requisite to the largest and softest parts; even allow¬ ing for its losing in firmness by moisture during the operation. The ligature-silk should be drawn across a piece of hard and clean white wax previous to its being used, in order to prevent the action of wet; and also to give a slight degree of stiffness to the ligature, which greatly facilitates its application : it should then be nicely smoothed by rubbing it with soft paper to remove the superfluous wax, which might have formed in small lumps, increasing the size of the ligature, or causing irregularities that destroy the round and even surface so essential in its application to deep-seated vessels; and which is also needed in placing the two ends in the apparatus, and in tightening the ligature. To increase still further the facility of passing the ligature silk through the eye of the holder, and thus diminish the delay in the operation, I have, when preparing the instruments previous to operating, scraped with rather a blunt knife about an inch of each end of the silk cord so thin, that both can be twisted together between the finger and thumb into a fine tapering point. This point will enter easily into the eye of the holder, and, pro¬ truding from the other side, can readily be taken hold of and drawn through. The same advantage might also be obtained by fastening a thin silver wire to each end: this,however, is unnecessary if the ends are nicely pointed; and would not be so convenient, as the length of the ligature cannot always be determined pre¬ vious to the operation; there would likewise be greater diffi¬ culty and delay in re-preparing the ends, if need were, during the operation. Fig. 14 is one of the pointed ends of the ligature- silk, greatly magnified, in order to shew more plainly the manner in which it is twisted, and to how fine a point it can be scraped.