University Health Network - Academy of Medicine Collection
Category
Diagnostic & Treatment Artifacts
Surgery
Classification
General Surgery
Surgery
Accession Number
1934.5.19 a-g
Description
Glass vials with pointed bases (a-e) which contain braided silk sutures of various sizes in a clear liquid: (a) No. 0, (b) No. 0, (c) No. 2, (d) No. 1, (e) No. 2; vials have paper labels and rubber sleeves near the top; sutures are wrapped around a white cardboard bobbin; vials are contained in a t…
Glass vials with pointed bases (a-e) which contain braided silk sutures of various sizes in a clear liquid: (a) No. 0, (b) No. 0, (c) No. 2, (d) No. 1, (e) No. 2; vials have paper labels and rubber sleeves near the top; sutures are wrapped around a white cardboard bobbin; vials are contained in a two-piece cardboard box (f-g).
Number Of Parts
7
Part Names
a - vial - Size: Length 12.1 cm x Diameter 1.4 cm
b - vial - Size: Length 11.4 cm x Diameter 1.0 cm
c - vial - Size: Length 12.2 cm x Diameter 1.0 cm
d - vial - Size: Length 11.9 cm x Diameter 1.5 cm
e - vial - Size: Length 11.9 cm x Diameter 1.0 cm
f - box top - Size:
g - box bottom - Size: Length 13.0 cm x Width 4.4 cm x Depth 2.0 cm
Provenance
Acquired from the Academy of Medicine; donated by Dr. Edward Allister McCulloch.
Style of tube was patented in 1905; original record had "early 20c"
Material
glass: clear
rubber: red
fabric: cream
liquid: clear
paper: green, cream, white, black
Inscriptions
Label on box reads, "Emergency Ligatures, SEABURY'S STERILE BRAIDED SILK In Frangible glass Tubes with Rubber Sleeves U.S.A. Patent No. 779,338. Sterilized under pressure after sealing. SEABURY & JOHNSON, New York, U.S.A. Laboratories, East Orange, N.J. ¼ DOZ. (Asst'd Sizes 0, 1, & 2)"; Each tube reads: "SEABURY'S // BRAIDED SILK // Sterile No. [0 (a, b), 1 (d), 2 (c, e)] // TUBE BREAKS // UNDER RUBBER // SLEEVE // U.S.A. PATENT // No. 779,338"
Permanent Location
Storage Room 0010
0010-F1-10
Temporary Location
(a,c) To exhibit "Francophone Experience in World War I War Hospital, 1914-1918," at the Museoparc Vanier Museopark, 9 June 2014.
Condition Remarks
#2: Rubber sleeves are cracking on all the vials.
Copy Type
Original
Reference Types
Internet
Reference Comments
United States Patent and Trademark Office website
Research Facts
The tubes are scored for breaking beneath the rubber sleeve. The sleeve is designed to keep the sterilizing liquid inside the tube from spilling when the tube is broken. It also protects the hands of the person breaking the tube from any broken pieces of glass. This model has a flange on the top of sleeve designed to prevent the tube from rolling off a table, since if it does roll, the flange will cause it to roll in a circle rather than a straight line.