Silver sutureIn 1845, J. Marion Sims (1813-83) began his experiments (1845-50) to use a fine silver wire for sutures. In his era, the suture materials used for vaginal tears, mostly silk and catgut, absorbed bodily fluid, caused inflammation around the wounds, promoting horrible infections that would never heal. So he used a fine silver wire he had drawn by a jeweller. Sims successfully performed a vesico-vaginal fistula operation on 21 Jun 1849 in Montgomery, Ala. The suture was removed on the eight day after the operation. He reported his technique in an article "On the Treatment of Vesico-vaginal Fistula" in the American Journal of the Medical Sciences. For his development of techniques and instruments, Sims is known as the "Father of Modern American Gynecology." |
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