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A suture was an ancient medical technique on Earth. According to The Doctor, "before the advent of laser technology, surgical fiber was used to stitch together a wound to allow it to heal naturally." (VOY: "The Cloud")

While in the year 1930, the delusional Doctor Leonard McCoy rambled on about the inadequacies of 20th century medicine, stating, "they used to hand-cut and sew people like garments. Needles and sutures, all the terrible pain!" (TOS: "The City on the Edge of Forever")

In 2370, The Doctor suggested that to repair the damage done to a nucleogenic cloud being, USS Voyager, whose energy systems were compatible with the lifeform's omicron particles, could serve the needs to repair the lifeform in much the same way as a suture. The Doctor suggested that if allowed the ship to serve as an energy conduit across the wound, the lifeform would be able to regenerate itself more rapidly. (VOY: "The Cloud")

By the 22nd century, sutures were advanced to the level of the autosuture, which continued to be used well into the 24th century. (ENT: "A Night in Sickbay", "Marauders"; TNG: "Suddenly Human"; DS9: "Soldiers of the Empire")

More modern types of sutures used during the 24th century included micro-sutures and submicron sutures. (DS9: "Rocks and Shoals"; VOY: "Dark Frontier", "Lifesigns")

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