This image is released under a CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 Licence
Buy this image as a print
BuyLicense this image for commercial use at Science and Society Picture Library
LicenseThis image is released under a CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 Licence
Buy this image as a print
BuyLicense this image for commercial use at Science and Society Picture Library
LicenseTube of sterile catgut ligature in carton, by J
Science Museum Group
© The Board of Trustees of the Science Museum
Tube of sterile catgut ligature in carton, by J
Science Museum Group Collection
© The Board of Trustees of the Science Museum
Tube of sterile catgut ligature in carton, by J. Gardner and Son, Scottish, late 19th or early 20th century
Catgut has a misleading name as it is actually a tough cord made from the intestines of a number of mammals, but not cats. Catgut ligatures were for external and internal use, for example to sew up arteries and other blood vessels during surgery. If applied internally, the ligatures were absorbed by the body once their work was done. This example was made by J Gardner and Son, surgical instrument makers based in Edinburgh, Scotland.
