US ARMY MEDICAL DEPARTMENT SUTURE THREAD SPOOL:
A real find for the medical collectors is this US Army
Medical Department issue spool of Surgical Suture
Thread. The wooden spool is plainly ink stamped on both
ends - one end stamped, “SURGICAL COTTON 100 YARDS SIZE
O” and the other “WHITE TWISTED NON ABSORBABLE SUTURE,
NOT STERILE, CAPILLARY, GUDEBROD BROS.”. The spool is
packaged in a 1.75” GI issue paper board cube, the cube
having only four sides, no top or bottom and the cube
and spool are encased in cellophane. Printed on the
paper cube are the government stock number, and a full
description of the contents as shown in the photo. These
were found in an old warehouse in Chicago in an original
US Army shipping crate dated to World War II and are
guaranteed original. Gudebrod Bros. Silk Thread Company
is listed as being in business in New York City in The
Thomas Register of American Manufacturers Buyer’s Guide
of 1905. I think it would be safe to say that this
company was probably supplying suture thread in that
time frame as well, and as such, this spool would be
appropriate for a World War One display as well. These
early US Army medical supplies are getting harder to
find as time passes and this is a great opportunity to
add to your WWI or WWII medical display. $10
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