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[1/4] These #toolsofthetrade are vital for patching-up patients during surgical procedures! The phials contain ligatures which were used to tie blood vessels following operations such as amputation. Tying blood vessels prevents the patient from bleeding to death! #oldoptheatre 
[2/4] The ligatures are made from horsehair and silkworm gut, materials noted for their tensile strength. Other materials recommended by surgeons included catgut and kangaroo tendon! (Catgut, by the way, is made from the intestines of cattle, sheep or goats – not cats!) #histmed
[3/4] Before antisepsis and asepsis ligatures were a source of infection. Horsehair sutures became more popular with surgeons because they appeared to present a lower risk of infection. The preparation of the sutures involved boiling the hair, which inadvertently sterilised it!
Taking a closer look at the #ToolsOfTheTrade of surgeons, we decided to pay attention to the handles of our surgical knives dating from the 19th century. Ebony, ivory and even cord had been used as handles to ensure a good grip of the knife in the hands of the surgeons. #histmed
Let's be honest! The last thing that you might want is for that knife to slip when it is not supposed to! All jokes aside, the death rate at the surgical wards of Old St Thomas' Hospital was counted between 11% to 20%,
and many of these deaths were caused by infections rather than by the surgical procedures themselves. The materials on these handles were definitely not helping as they were not aseptic! #oldoptheatre #histmed #surgery #Victorian
