Useful hints to those who are afflicted with ruptures : on the nature, cure, and consequences of the disease ; and on the empirical practices of the present day / by T. Sheldrake.
- Sheldrake, Timothy, active 1783-1806
- Date:
- 1804
Licence: Public Domain Mark
Credit: Useful hints to those who are afflicted with ruptures : on the nature, cure, and consequences of the disease ; and on the empirical practices of the present day / by T. Sheldrake. Source: Wellcome Collection.
Provider: This material has been provided by The University of Glasgow Library. The original may be consulted at The University of Glasgow Library.
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![of the instrument to be emplo3'ed, and the improvements of which it is susceptible. Tlie elastic truss consists of a spring that goes either wholly or in part round the body, and a pad to lie upon the aperture through which the I'upture descends; besides proper straps for fastenings, &c. the spring, which is the^ acting power, is formed into a circle, or part of a circle, or rather parts of different circles, it is extended to be placed round the body, and, by its efforts to contract itself till it reaches a state of rest in its original form, makes that pressure which is to keep up the rupture. It is evident that this pressure is essentially different from that which can be produced by a pad, when secured on its place, by a belt drawn tight round the body, or by the dead pressure of a solid iron or steel hoop ; it may be exerted to any degree that it can possibly be required, but, it may be so exerted as to be productive of serious mischief in many cases; it may, therefore, not be improper to explain some of the principles upon which the proper application of this pressure depends. The strength of the truss should be rather more than, or at least equal to the force with which the parts, which form the rupture, are propelled downwards by their own weight, and acted upon by any exertion the.patient may use: this pressure must be absolute, or the rupture cannot be kept up : w hat, then, it may be asked, is the use of the elastic or flexible power of the truss ? why is it superior to the dead pr'essiire. of the old iron or steel truss ? the following are some of the reasons which seem to prove its superiority : A certain force is requisite to keep u]) a rupture of a given size, and this force must be constantly and invariably applied, or the rupture will, in many situations, descend : but the pai*ts in which the apertures through which ruptures descend are situate, are subject to many and great varia- tions in i-espiratiou, in difference of position from many ac- tions, as stooping, sitting, riding, &c. &c. the elastic power of tlu; spring is intended to follow the parts through all these variations, in many cases it does this effectually; in others less perfectly, but in all, it certainly does, when propcriy adapted and applied, do this more effectuidly. than .any- other method tliat has been, or periiaps that can. be devised. ' ■ Besides possessing the actual strength that -will bd required to keep up the rupture to which it is to be applied, the spring of a truss should have as much flexibility as it possibily can havt', consistently with the requisite strength, 0](https://iiif.wellcomecollection.org/image/b21467493_0127.jp2/full/800%2C/0/default.jpg)
