1528619 Ligaturing appliances P PERISSE 30 Dec 1975 53166/75 Heading A5R Ligating apparatus comprises a tubular body 1 coaxially disposed within which is a tubular spindle 7 for connection at one end 2 thereof to a source of vacuum and mounting a plurality of ligature-carrying cartridges 8 which are biassed towards the other end of the spindle by a spring 29, and each comprise a bush 10 coaxially and rotatably mounted on a member 9 the members 9, 10 each having a portion 11, 14 of enlarged diameter having at least one stud 12, 13 and 15, 16 respectively formed thereon, each stud slidably engaging in a corresponding groove extending lengthwise of the inner surface of body 1. At its end opposite enlarged portion 11, member 9 extends beyond bush 10 and is formed with a shoulder to support a preformed ligature 22, the end portions 23, 24 of the ligature extending through notches 18, 19 in the member 9 and being wound, in opposite hands, around bush 10 and being retained in notches 25 defined between adjacent projections 26 on bush 10. In the initial position of use, studs 12, 13 on journal 9 are retained in their corresponding grooves in body 1 but studs 15, 16 on bush 10 are free of their grooves. Bush 10 is rotated on member 9 by means of a sleeve 30 on body 1 which has a stop (33, 34 not shown) for engagement with each stud 15 or 16, the sleeve being rotated by means of a push button 36 rigid with a leaf-spring 37 the other end of which is secured to the sleeve, the button sliding in a plane tangent to the sleeve within a cylindrical casing 38 on the body 1. As bush 10 rotates, the ligature is tightened about tissue which is sucked onto spindle 7 by the application of suction to the end 2 thereof, the ligature being completely tightened when the studs 12 or 13 and 15 or 16 are aligned in which position the end portions of the ligature are severed by blades 27 and (28 not shown) carried by bush 10. The cartridges are retained within the apparatus by a stop on the outermost end of sleeve 30.