Improvements in or relating to the sterilising of catgut or other threads or filaments for surgical use / [Eva Dronke].

  • Dronke, Eva.
Date:
1903
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Improvements in or relating to the sterilising of catgut or other threads or filaments for surgical use / [Eva Dronke]. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    6 10 16 20 25 30 35 40 N° 15,514 A.D. 1902 Date of Application, 11th July, 1902-Acceptecl, 28th May, 1903 COMPLETE SPECIFICATION. A “ Improvement in or relating* to the Sterilising of Catgut or other Threads or Filaments for Surgical use, ’ I, Eva Dronke of Xo. 32 Holienstaufen Ring Cologne, Germany, Married Woman, 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: — This invention relates to a process for sterilizing catgut or similar threads for surgical use. Threads for surgical use, and especially catgut, are, as is well known, usually sterilized in cumol at a temperature of ICO0 C. In order to preserve the catgut in the sterilized condition and to keep it permanently sterile, the sterilizing is preferably conducted in a cardboard box which can be closed, in which the thread is packed and out of which it is only taken at the time of use in an operation. It is however difficult to ascertain whether during the sterilization a tempera¬ ture of at least 160° was actually maintained, which temperature as is well known is necessary for the purpose. It has been already proposed to place with the material before sterilizing a metallic alloy but this gives insufficient certainty because the doctor when using the catgut cannot ascertain whether the molten alloy was added to the catgut before or after sterilizing and is therefore not able to satisfy himself with certainty whether at the sterilizing the requisite temperature was really employed. This drawback has been obviated b}T the invention forming the subject of this application. It consists in combining the easily fusible metallic alloy which is used to ascertain the temperature of the sterilization with the thread by winding it or pressing it thereon in the form of a ribbon or strip. If then the* thread be sterilized in a closed vessel at the requisite temperature, the fusible metal which begins to melt at this temperature will become intimately connected with the thread on which it is already secured to a certain extent. The doctor who uses the catgut thread can thus see without doubt whether such an intimate connection has taken place by the fusing of the metal and conclude from *it whether on sterilizing the prescribed temperature was employed. It is of advantage to fasten or press the strip or band of the metallic alloy upon one end of the thread. Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I claim is:—* The improved process for sterilizing catgut and other threads for surgical and the like purposes in which there is secured to the said thread for the pur- nose of demonstrating that the requisite temperature has been attained during the process of sterilizing in closed vessels by winding or pressing a strip or band [Price Sdi]