The surgical use of celluloid thread / by W.W. Keen and Randle C. Rosenberger.

  • William Williams Keen
Date:
1900
Catalogue details

Licence: In copyright

Credit: The surgical use of celluloid thread / by W.W. Keen and Randle C. Rosenberger. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by The Royal College of Surgeons of England. The original may be consulted at The Royal College of Surgeons of England.

    5/6 (page 5)
    Experiment IX. Comparison with silk: Specimen consists of two pieces of silk thread 20 cm. in length—one a plaited silk thread—the other twilled silk thread. Upon microscopic examination with a § inch objec- tive the plaited thread is seen to consist of a number of fibrils interwoven or plaited together, but possessing on the whole a smooth surface. In the dried condition it weighed 210 mg , but when soaked in water it weighed 300 mg., a gain of 42.9%. The gauge by the B. and S. measurement in the dried condition was 20 (0.03196 inch), but after soaking in water it measured 18 (0.0403 inch), showing that it absorbed water which caused some swelling. The twilled thread upon microscopic examination is seen to consist of delicate fibrils and on the whole possessing a smooth surface. In the dried condition it weighed 180 mg., when soaked in water it reached a constant weight of 220 mg., a gain of 22.2%. The gauge by the B. and S. measurement in the dried con- dition was 16 (0.0582 inch); after soaking in water it measured 13 (0.07196 inch), showing that it absorbed a certain amount of water with considerable swelling. In both instances when the thread was weighed after soaking it was thoroughly mopped with filter-paper to rid it of excess of moisture.