Show surgical starch sponges seen as a possibility there nere la is a possibility ol of develop ing ng surgical sponges sponge mada of starch that can safely be sewed up in wounds because the sponge material can be absorbed bythe by the body starch sponges are made of starch paste pasta slowly frozen and then thawed the paste pasta may bo be frozen and thawed in shallow pans and then cut into pieces of the required size and shape A dry starch sponge Is hard and somewhat brittle but it will quickly absorb about 18 15 to 18 times its weight of liquid when wet the sponge Is soft tind and pliable an and d will retain most of the liquid in it if handled gently it has been shown that the starch dissolves in blood serum these properties suggested use of the sponges as surgical dressings 0 ono no of the advantages would be that wounds and inci incisions blons would not have to be reopened to remove dressings the starch sponge would also be valuable in surface wounds where tissues are sometimes torn when dressings ore are removed the sponge might be filled with a medicinal solution such as one of penicillin alln or a sulta sulfa drug which would be be gradually se leased as the starch dissolves dissolve i |