Abstract:
An anthropological surrogate for comforting a surgical patient, the anthropological surrogate configured to include a retrievable simulated body organ. The body organ is tethered to the interior of a receptacle installed in the body of the anthropological surrogate. The receptacle has an openable closure so that the simulated body organ can be withdrawn from the receptacle and from the anthropological surrogate, viewed, and replaced.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
       [0001]    The present invention relates to comfort or consolation for surgical patients, and more particularly, to modifying dolls, stuffed animals, and the like in a way which personalizes the medical experience for the patient. 
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    Medical patients, in particularly the young, are particularly susceptible to demoralization, despair, and other debilitating feelings when subjected to significant medical treatments such as surgery. Dolls and stuffed animals have been provided to such patients as a way of giving them greater understanding of their situation and control over their feelings and other aspects of the medical experience. While dolls and stuffed animals are felt to render some measure of comfort, there remains a need for improving the benefits conferred by dolls and stuffed animals. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0003]    The present invention addresses the above stated situation by enhancing the effects conferred by medical surrogates or proxies, such as dolls and stuffed animals. Notably, the present invention provides a way of modifying a stuffed animal or doll to make the resultant surrogate more closely approximate an actual surgical patient by incorporating a symbolic organ which can be retrieved and viewed by the patient, then returned to its place. 
         [0004]    To this end, the invention contemplates an assembly which can be incorporated into a medical proxy. The assembly includes a symbolic organ, a receptacle for receiving the symbolic organ, and a tether for tethering the symbolic organ to the receptacle. 
         [0005]    It is particularly an object of the invention to provide improved elements and arrangements thereof which enables conversion of a medical proxy in the form of a doll or stuffed animal to a medical proxy having an organ which can be retrieved and stowed at will by a person. 
         [0006]    These and other objects of the present invention will become readily apparent upon further review of the following specification and drawings. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0007]    Various objects, features, and attendant advantages of the present invention will become more fully appreciated as the same becomes better understood when considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which like reference characters designate the same or similar parts throughout the several views, and wherein: 
           [0008]      FIG. 1  is a front view of a stuffed animal modified according to the present disclosure; and 
           [0009]      FIG. 2  is a front perspective detail view of the center of  FIG. 1 . 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0010]    Referring first to  FIG. 1 , according to at least one aspect of the invention, there is shown an anthropological surrogate  100  for comforting a human patient (not shown) associated with surgery, and to achieve an impression that the anthropological surrogate  100  is specifically associated with the surgery. The anthropological surrogate  100  may be a simulated animate object such as a stuffed animal as depicted in  FIG. 1 , a doll, or any other simulation of an animate object. The simulated animate object need not be human per se, as simulated animals such as bears and monkeys are know to provide comfort, especially to young patients. The anthropological surrogate  100  comprises a simulated animate object of a type capable of conveying human and animal emotions. Most mammals, such as bears and monkeys, have such characteristics. The anthropological surrogate  100  has a body  102  to which are appended a head  104 , arms  106 , legs  108 , and optionally, other anatomical features such as a tail (not shown). The body  102  includes an interior  110  and an incision  112  in the body  102 . The incision  112  exposes the interior  110  and makes accessible a void in the body  102 . 
         [0011]    Referring also to  FIG. 2 , a receptacle  114  includes an interior  116 , a closure  122  such as a slide contact fastener or zipper which selectively opens and closes the receptacle  114  to finger access. The receptacle  114 , which may be a fabric pouch for example, contains a simulated body organ  118  such as a heart, and a tether  120  connecting the simulated body organ  118  to the interior  116  of the receptacle  114 . The tether  120 , which may be a ribbon, is long enough to enable the simulated body organ  118  to be withdrawn from the receptacle  114 . The simulated body organ  118  is preferably but not necessarily a soft fabric envelope, such as flannel or felt, stuffed with a soft filling, such as polyester fibers, so that the simulated body organ  118  is a three dimensional object. 
         [0012]    The simulated animate object will become the anthropological surrogate  100  when modified to include the receptacle  114 , the simulated body organ  118 , and the tether  120 . The interior  116  of the receptacle  114  is different from the interior  110  of the anthropological surrogate  100 . The interior  110  of the anthropological surrogate  100  is opened only for installation of the receptacle  114  therein, and play no further significant role. The receptacle  114  is contained within the interior  110  of the body  102  of the anthropological surrogate  100 , and may be opened by the closure  122  to remove and replace the simulated body organ  118  and the tether  120 . 
         [0013]    The receptacle  114  may be provided with a closure zone  124  which covers the incision  112  and obstructs access to the interior  110  of the body  102  of the simulated animate object, and the closure  122 . The closure selectively closes and opens the closure zone  124  to reveal the interior  116  for removing and replacing the simulated body organ  118 . The closure zone  124  may be a fabric flange projecting from the receptacle  114 . The fabric flange provides a convenient surface to receive stitching for joining the receptacle  114  to the anthropological surrogate  100 . The closure zone  124  may be held to represent scarring incurred by the patient. Alternatively, or in addition, stitching may be provided on the simulated body organ  118  or elsewhere on the anthropological surrogate  100  to represent scarring. 
         [0014]    It would be possible to include more than one simulated body organ  118  in the assembly including the receptacle  114 . 
         [0015]    The simulated body organ  118  may include indicia, such as the patient&#39;s name, which may be stitched thereto or otherwise formed. 
         [0016]    The invention may be thought of as the anthropological surrogate  100  modified to include the receptacle  114  and the simulated body organ  118 , as seen in  FIG. 1 . Alternatively, the invention may be regarded as an assembly for modifying an anthropological surrogate to render the anthropological surrogate a representation of a human surgical patient. The assembly, shown in  FIG. 2 , includes the receptacle  114  including the interior  116 , the simulated body organ  118 , the tether  120 , which is fixed at one end to the simulated body organ  118 , and at the other end to the interior  116  of the receptacle  114 , the closure  122 , and optionally, the closure zone  124 . 
         [0017]    The invention may also be thought of as a method of modifying an anthropological surrogate to render the anthropological surrogate a representation of a human surgical patient. The method may include providing a simulated animate object having a body (e.g., the body  102  of the completed anthropological surrogate  100 ; cutting an incision (e.g., the incision  112 ) into the body of the simulated animate object and exposing the interior of the body of the simulated animate object; installing within the body of the simulated animate object a receptacle (e.g., the receptacle  114 ) containing a simulated body organ (e.g., the simulated body organ  118 ) and a tether (e.g., the tether  120 ) connecting the simulated body organ to the interior of the receptacle; and attaching the the receptacle to the interior of the body of the simulated animate object. 
         [0018]    The method may include generating a closure zone (e.g., the closure zone  124 ) which covers the incision and obstructs access to the interior of the body of the simulated animate object. The method may further include providing a closure (e.g., the closure  122 ) which selectively closes the receptacle and opens the receptacle to finger access. The method may further include providing the anthropological surrogate (e.g., the anthropological surrogate  100 ), modified to include the receptacle  114  and the tethered simulated body organ  118  installed within the body of the anthropological surrogate to a medical patient associated with a surgical procedure. 
         [0019]    The method may include providing the patient&#39;s name on the anthropological surrogate  100 , such as on the simulated body organ  118 . 
         [0020]    While the present invention has been described in connection with what is considered the most practical and preferred embodiment, it is to be understood that the present invention is not to be limited to the disclosed arrangements, but is intended to cover various arrangements which are included within the spirit and scope of the broadest possible interpretation of the appended claims so as to encompass all modifications and equivalent arrangements which are possible.