 Davis and Geck's most significant contribution to the surgical field was the invention of the synthetic absorbable suture.Its Dexon brand of sutures, introduced in the 1970s, was made with a man made organic material called polyglycolic acid.This new category of suture product reduced a surgeon's reliance on animal derived "catgut" sutures which have inconsistent strength properties and can often cause significant wound irritation to patients.