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The needle presented here is a modification of one that has been used frequently in bleeding from the tonsillar fossa. The needle was improved not from the standpoint of adding to the already extensive number of instruments that are on the market but because I had found a definite need for it. Many times some difficulty is encountered in the use of the original type of needle or of some other type. With the modified curve, it is much easier to carry the suture to deeper and more inaccessible regions. The open eye makes it unnecessary to pass the entire length of catgut through the eye, thus avoiding the danger of shredding or abrading the suture material, especially if the eye has been roughened by use. The type of curve used is adaptable for both fossae.
The accompanying photograph shows the type of open eye in this new needle. The