Stitches - What did they do before dissolvable stitches were created?

What did they do before dissolvable stitches were created?

I am curious to any Dr.s and Veterinarians out there. Before dissolvable stitches were created... how did they go about doing internal sugury requiring internal stitches? Did they have to re open the patient to remove the stitches after the surgury healed? Or did the non dissolvable stitches remain in the body perminantly? If so, how did this not cause people and animals to get an infection/reaction to the foreign body? Or did the body just get used to it? I would love this information as I am intrigued by it all!

Public Comments

umm they take it out??
I believe the stitches were left inside. I don't believe the survival rate was to high either.
All stitches dissolved in time.
In some cases they used catgut for stitching and styptic powder or styptic stick to stop bleeding
The sutures that were made inside a person just stayed there. The external ones were removed after a certain amount of time had passed. In some surgical procedures, doctors still suture things inside the human body and they stay forever. *All sutures do not "dissolve in time".*