A ligating device for applying successive elastic bands 18 to tissue 54. In one preferred embodiment, the device includes a barrel having an opening into which the tissue can be drawn and a plurality of circumferential grooves 52 around the barrel each for accommodating a respective ligating band. The grooves may be defined by ridges 24, 30 on first and second coaxial tubes 20, 22 respectively, the second tube 22 being reciprocal relative to the first tube 20 so that when the second tube 22 advances towards the free end of the barrel its ridges 30 push the bands 18 forwardly so that they ride up over the ridges 24 of the first tube 20 to each lie one groove nearer the free end, the foremost band 18a being pushed off the free end of the first tube onto the tissue. When the second tube 22 retracts away from the free end the bands 18 ride up over the ridges 30 of the second tube to remain in their advanced position.