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CATGUT

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Originally appearing in Volume V05, Page 515 of the 1911 Encyclopedia Britannica.
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CATGUT , the name applied to See also:

cord of See also:great toughness and tenacity prepared from the intestines of See also:sheep, or occasionally from those of the See also:horse, See also:mule and See also:ass. Those of the See also:cat are not employed, and therefore it is supposed that the word is properly kitgut, See also:kit meaning " See also:fiddle," and that the See also:present See also:form has arisen through confusion with kit=cat. The substance is used for the strings of harps and violins, as well as other stringed musical See also:instruments, for See also:hanging the weights of clocks, for See also:bow-strings, and for suturing wounds in See also:surgery. To prepare it the intestines are cleaned, freed from See also:fat, and steeped for some See also:time in See also:water, after which their See also:external membrane is scraped off with a See also:blunt See also:knife. They are then steeped for some time in an alkaline ley, smoothed and equalized by See also:drawing out, subjected to the antiseptic See also:action of the fumes of burning See also:sulphur, if necessary dyed, sorted into sizes, and See also:twisted together into cords of various See also:numbers of strands according to their uses. The best strings for musical instruments are imported from See also:Italy (" See also:Roman strings "); and it is found that lean and See also:ill-fed animals yield the toughest gut.

End of Article: CATGUT

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