View source for Catgut

{{short description|Type of cord made from refined natural fibers of animal intestines}}
{{About|the material|the racehorse|Catgut (horse)|the species of seaweed|Chorda filum}}
[[Image:Catgut.jpg|thumb|A coil of catgut [[cello]] string.]]
'''Catgut''' (also known as '''gut''') is a type of cord<ref>{{cite book|url= https://archive.org/details/tariffschedules01undegoog|title= Tariff schedules: Hearings before the Committee on ways and means|publisher= U.S. Government Printing Office| first= Oscar Wilder| last = Underwood| year= 1913| work= Strings for Musical Instruments| page= [https://archive.org/details/tariffschedules01undegoog/page/n1040 5691]| access-date  = February 27, 2010| quote= [T]here is no such thing as crude catgut or catgut unmanufactured. '''Catgut''' is a manufactured article and a finished product; the crude form are the intestines or guts of sheep or other animals.
}}</ref> that is prepared from the [[natural fiber]] found in the walls of animal [[Gut (anatomy)|intestines]].<ref>{{cite book| url= https://books.google.com/books?id=VgzI_gZ-7hcC&pg=PA93| title= Roenigk & Roenigk's dermatologic surgery: principles and practice| first= Randall K.| last= Roenigk|author2=Henry H. Roenigk| date= 23 January 1996| page= 93| publisher= CRC Press| isbn= 9780824795030|quote       = Catgut sutures are made from the [[submucosa]]l layer of the small intestine of sheep and the [[serosal]] layer of the small intestine of cattle.}}</ref> Catgut makers usually use [[sheep]] or [[goat]] intestines, but occasionally use the intestines of [[cattle]],<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-13670184 |title=The unusual uses for animal body parts |publisher=BBC |date=2011-06-06 |access-date=2013-10-11}}</ref> [[Domestic pig|hogs]], [[horse]]s, [[mule]]s, or [[donkey]]s.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Hiskey|first1=Daven|title=Violin strings were never made out of actual cat guts|url=http://www.todayifoundout.com/index.php/2010/11/violin-strings-were-never-made-out-of-actual-cat-guts/|website=TodayIFoundOut.com|date=12 November 2010|access-date=15 December 2015}}</ref> Despite the name, catgut is not made from [[cat]] intestines.
==Etymology==
The word ''catgut'' may have been an abbreviation of the word "[[cattle]]gut".
Alternatively, it may derive by [[folk etymology]] from ''kitgut'' or ''kitstring'' — the dialectal word ''kit'', meaning [[fiddle]], having at some point been confused with the word ''kit'' for a young [[cat]], the word "kit" being possibly derived from [[Welsh language|Welsh]].<ref>{{cite journal |last=Booth |first=Arthur Woodward |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=LbMCAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA811 |title=The Preparation of Surgical Catgut |journal=Therapeutic Gazette |year=1894 |via=Books.google.com |access-date=2013-10-11}}</ref>
In the 16th century a "kit" was a "small fiddle used by dancing teachers," a name probably derived from a shortening of Old English cythere, from Latin cithara, from Greek kithara (see [[guitar]]).
==Common uses==
===Musical instruments===
[[File:Violino classico, dettaglio.JPG|thumb|Catgut violin strings]]
Historically, catgut was the most common material for the [[strings (music)|strings]] of [[harp]]s, [[lute]]s, [[violin]]s, [[viola]]s, [[cello]]s, [[double basses]], [[viol]]s, [[acoustic guitars]], and other [[String instrument|stringed musical instruments]], as well as the heads of older marching [[snare drum]]s.
Most [[musical instrument]]s produced today use strings with cores made of other materials, generally [[steel]] or synthetic [[polymer]]. Gut strings are the natural choice for many classical and baroque string players,<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eLpAaIqJPck|title=What are period instruments?|last=Bruggemeyer|first=Cecelia|date=Jan 22, 2018|website=Youtube|access-date=Jan 29, 2019}}</ref> and gut strings are still most commonly preferred in concert-tension [[Pedal harp|pedal/grand]] and some [[Harp#Folk, lever, and Celtic instruments|lever harps]] because they give a richer, darker sound as well as withstanding high tension within low alto, tenor, and high-bass ranges.<ref name=":0" /> Many acoustic guitarists moved away from gut strings in the early 1900s when the [[C. F. Martin & Company]] introduced steel strings, which gave greater volume to the guitar. "The demand for steel came from ensemble players, who couldn't make themselves heard clearly without it."<ref>de Ste. Croix, Philip, editor. ''The Complete Guitar Encyclopedia'', New York: Parragon Books, 2014, p. 14</ref> Within a few years the majority of Martin guitars were made with steel strings to accommodate the demand. After World War II, most classical and flamenco guitarists switched from catgut to the new [[nylon]] strings for their greater smoothness, durability, and stability of intonation.
Before 1900, the best strings for musical instruments were reputedly from [[Italy]].<ref>{{Cite EB1911|wstitle=Catgut|volume=5|page=515}}</ref> Musicians believed the best were from Naples, though Rome and other Italian cities also produced excellent strings. Today high quality gut strings are produced mostly in Italy, Germany, and the United States. They are also made elsewhere, for example in India, Mali, and Morocco, for local use.
===Sutures===
[[Catgut suture]] was once a widely used material in [[surgery|surgical]] settings. Catgut sutures remain in use in developing countries where they are locally less expensive and easier to obtain. Catgut treated with chromium salts, known as chromic catgut, is also used in surgery.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Start |first1=N J |last2=Armstrong |first2=A M |last3=Robson |first3=W J |title=The use of chromic catgut in the primary closure of scalp wounds in children. |journal=Archives of Emergency Medicine |date=1989 |volume=6 |issue=3 |pages=216–219 |issn=0264-4924|pmc=1285609 |pmid=2789586 |doi=10.1136/emj.6.3.216}}</ref>
===Tennis racquets===
Natural gut is still used as a high-performance [[Strings (tennis)|string]] in [[tennis racquet]]s, although it had more popularity in the past and is being displaced by synthetic strings.
===Clocks===
Catgut is also traditionally used to hang the weights in [[grandfather clock]]s.
===Watches===
Catgut was also used in early pocket timepieces from their invention up until the use of the [[Fusee (horology)|Fusee chain]].
==Production==
To prepare catgut, workers clean the small intestines, free them from any fat, and [[steeping|steep]] them in water. Then they scrape off the external membrane with a blunt knife, and steep the intestines again for some time in [[potassium hydroxide]]. Then they smooth and equalize the intestines by drawing them out. Lean animals yield the toughest gut.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://chestofbooks.com/home-improvement/workshop/Workshop-Companion/Catgut.html |title=Workshop Companion |publisher=Chestofbooks.com |access-date=2013-10-11}}</ref>  Next, they twist the prepared gut strands together to make string. String diameter is determined by the thickness of the individual guts, and by the number used. A thin string, such as a violin E, uses only three or four guts, whereas a double bass string may use 20 or more. After twisting and drying, workers polish the strings to the required diameter.
Before the 20th century, the strings were simply rubbed with an abrasive to smooth them. Today they are generally ground down to the desired diameter using a [[Centerless grinding|centerless grinder]].  After drying and polishing, workers bleach and disinfect the strings using [[sulfur dioxide]], dye them if necessary, and sort them into sizes.
Catgut sutures are normally treated with a [[Tanning (leather)#Chrome tanning|chromium salt]] solution to resist body enzymes to slow the absorption process.  These are called catgut chromic sutures; untreated catgut sutures are called catgut plain sutures.<ref name=CatgutTypes>{{cite web|title=Types of Catgut Sutures|url=http://www.dolphinsutures.com/resources/information-on-catgut|publisher=Dolphin Sutures|access-date=2014-01-07}}</ref>
==References==
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== External links ==
{{commons category}}
{{fibers|state=collapsed}}
{{Authority control}}
[[Category:Animal products]]
[[Category:Surgical suture material]]