Process and apparatus for making strings of animal gut

Claim 1

IN A METHOD OF MAKING SURGICAL SUTURES OF ANIMAL GUT THE IMPROVEMENT WHICH CONSISTS F POSITIVELY JOINING END-TO-END A SERIES OF LENGTHS OF WET ANIMAL GUT TO FORM A CONTINUOUS SINGLE-LAYER RIBBON OF GUT, ADJACENT LENGTHS BEING TIED TOGETHER BY A PAIR OF KNOTS, PULLING THE WET CONTINUOUS RIBBON TO SLIP AND COMBINE EACH PAIR OF KNOTS INTO A SINGLE INTEGRAL FASTENING, WINDING THE RIBBON ONTO A ROTATING SUPPORT WHILE MAINTAINING THE GUT WET, SUBSTANTIALLY FLOATING THE SUPPORT IN A BATH OF LIQUID WHICH PRESERVES THE MOISTURE CONTENT OF THE GUT AND PERMITS ROTATION OF THE SUPPORT, UNWINDING THE RIBBON BY PULLING IT FROM THE FLOATING SUPPORT AGAINST THE SOLE RESISTANCE OF THE SUPPORT FLOATING IN THE BATH WHILE PULLING THE RIBBON THROUGH A CHEMICAL TREATMENT BATH AND WINDING THE RIBBON ON A SECOND ROTATABLE SUPPORT, ROTATING THE SECOND SUPPORT WHILE UNWINDING THE RIBBON THEREFROM AND WHILE TWISTING THE RIBBON INTO A STRING AND WINDING IT ON A PACKAGE WETTING THE GUT WITH A LIQUID WHICH PRESERVES THE MOISTURE CONTENT OF THE GUT, UNWINDING THE STRING FROM THE PACKAGE ONTO A FINAL SUPPORT WHILE KEEPING SUCCESSIVE TURNS OF THE STRING SEPARATED FROM ONE ANOTHER, DRYING THE GUT TO BOND IT PERMANENTLY INTO THE FORM OF THE TWISTED STRING, SEVERING EACH TURN OF THE STRING INTO A PAIR OF LENGTHS, AND SELECTING FOR SUTURES THOSE LENGTHS WHICH ARE FREE OF FASTENING BETWEEN THEIR END PORTIONS.