Specification of William Clark : trusses and pessaries.

  • William Clark
Date:
1862
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Specification of William Clark : trusses and pessaries. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    10/22 page 8
    A.D. 1862.—1858. Claries Impts. in Hernial and Orthopedic Apparatus and Pessaries^ ^c, set up. The plate R of the pad is formed with a hole, through which passes a screw S, secured to the plate by the nut T, without interfering with its rotation; this screw moves in a cylinder U, wormed internally, at the upper- part of which is maintained and turns freely the cap V. To allow of the cylinder U moving upwards without turning, grooves are formed on two 5 opposite sides thereof, into which fit the pins X on the socket Y, which is secured to the plate R. It will be understood that by turning the knob of screw S the screw is started, and the cylinder U and its cap thereby raised. The movement No. 13 described.—The description of No. 12 may apply 10 to this movement, except that the cap is fixed to the end of the spiral spring, Fig. 15, while by means of the cylinder U, Fig. 6, the slack or sinking of the pad can be limited by making the cylinder of suitable depth. In order to give the compressing pad in this system all the desired elasticity, I cover the cap with some elastic substance, enclosed in a vulcanized india-rubber covering, or 15 as shown in Fig. 5, in an air-tight vulcanized india-rubber covering, so that a constant pressure may be obtained, owing to the elastic agents, viz., the truss spring, the spiral spring, the elastic stuffing material, and the pubic elastic curve. These two systems of pads have the advantage of assuming when distended a somewhat conical form, which has for result to limit the pene- 20 tration of the pad into the hernial ring, and prevents besides the introduction of the hernia into the scrotum. Instead of the cap V, Fig, 6, a plate hinged next the collar may be substituted, which may be increased or diminished in size by means of the cylinder U, Fig. 6. The apparatus above described may be readily established so as to be quite 25 imperceptible, in the manner illustrated in Sheet 2, Fig. 11; but as its high price would render it inaccessible to workmen and professional people, I have devised a new means of stuffing these apparatus, and of cutting and sewing them mechanically, quite as strongly as could be done by manual labour. In order to make this improved method of manufacture better under- ,30 stood, I shall refer to Sheet 4, the various Figures of which represent the different improvements in the pads thus obtained by means of sewing machinery. I proceed as follows, viz., I take a chamois or other skin, which I dress, size, and afterwards stretch and nail or otherwise fix on the boards A, as shown at Fig. 1. This sizing or dressing is intended to impart to the skin, as it does to 35 other fabrics and tissues, a rigidity which makes it suitable to be worked by sewing machinery, and I do not claim, therefore, the material whereby this result is attained, as any suitable compound usually employed for dressing fabrics and tissues of all sorts may answer the purpose; hemp, cotton, cloth,
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