A Surgical Instrument for Performing without Pain Cutting, Lancing, or other Surgical Operations.
Year: 1894

page_text: Date of Application, 1st Aug., 1894
Complete Specification Left, 25th Apr., 1895-Accepted, 20th July, 1895
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
A Surgical Instrument for Performing without Pain Cutting,
Lancing, or other Surgical Operations.
I CHARLES WILLIAM HOWATSON St. Clares, Dunblane Perthshire, Physician
and Surgeon do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
An instrument to consist of two parts the handle and the cutting and anæsthetic
tube attachment. These parts to be detachable, and to be held together by means
of a screw or other joint. The handle to be made of metal, vulcanite, wood or
other material; to be hollow so as to admit of a glass or metal bulb or tube;
containing the anaesthetic, being inserted and fixed therein; which bulb or tube to
be retained in position by a cap covering and screwed to one end of the handle and
also by means of a metal nozzle cemented on the glass to be screwed or fixed into
a female screw set in the other end of the said handle. The other part of the
instrument to consist of a detachable kuife, scissors or other cutting blade or
instrument so made as to fit into a socket and be held therein by a screw clamp.
The portion which receives the knife, and below the part to which the knife is
fitted, to be made with a nozzle or jet the capillary tube of which is in direct
continuity with the opening in the nozzle of the bulb or tube containing the
anaesthetic so that the anaesthetic can flow from the reservoir contained in the
handle and be sprayed, and made to play upon the part operated upon just beneath
the edge of the knife or other cutting instrument.
And in order to check, when necessary, the flow of the anesthetic a stop cock
is to be fitted to this portion of the instrument. Which stop cock to consist of a
solid bar of metal, or other material, perforated transversely in its centre by an
opening of similar gauge to that of the capillary tube of the nozzle; and so con-
structed that by depressing or raising a thumb-cap the bar is made to rotate, and
the perforation is thus brought; or not into continuity with the capillary tube
whereby the passage of the anaesthetic is regulated.
Dated this 31st day of July 1894.
A Surgical Instrument for Performing without Pain Cutting,
Lancing, or other Surgical Operations.
1, CHARLES WILLIAM HOWATSON St. Clares, Dunblane, Perthshire, Scotland
Physician and Surgeon, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in
what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and
ascertained in and by the following statement :-
An instrument to consist of two parts the handle and the cutting and anesthetic
tube attachment. These parts to be detachable and to be held together by means of
a screw or other joint. The handic to be made of metal, vulcanite, wood or other
material; to be hollow, so as to constitute a reservoir in itself, or so as to admit of
a glass, or metal bulb or tube, or reservoir, containing the anesthetic, being
inserted and fixed therein. Which bulb, tube, or reservoir to be retained in

page_text: position by a cap covering and screwed to one end of the handle, and also by means
of a metal nozzle, with capillary bore, cemented on the glass to be screwed, or
otherwise fixed into a female screw, or slot, set into the other end of the said
handle.
The other part of the instrument to consist of a detachable knife, scissors, or
other cutting blade, or instrument, so made as to fit into a socket, groove or slot,
and be held therein by a screw clamp, or other device. The portion which receives
the knife, and below the part to which the knife is fitted to be made with a nozzle, or
jet, the capillary tube, or bore of which is in direct continuity with the opening
in the nozzle of the bull, or tube containing the anaesthetic so that the anaesthetic
can flow from the said reservoir contained in the handle and be sprayed and so
made to play upon the part operated upon just beneath the edge of the knife or
other cutting instrument.
And in order to check when necessary the flow of the anaesthetic, a stopcock is
to be fitted to this latter portion of the instrument. Which stopcock to consist of
a solid bar of metal or other material, perforated transversely in its centre by an
open of similar gauge to that of the capillary tube of the nozzle and so constructed
that by depressing or raising a thumb-cap the bar is made to rotate and the per-
foration is brought into continuity with the capillary tube whereby the passage of
the anesthetic is regulated.
In order that my invention may be fully understood, I append a drawing shewing
a longitudinal section of an instrument according to my invention. In this
figure A desiguates the handle which may itself form a reservoir for the anæs-
thetic, or as shewn may be so formed as to contain a glass, or metal bulb, tube, or
reservoir B which is retained in position by a cap a which forms a cover and is
screwed to one end of the handle at a'. Through the other end of the handle
projects a metal nozzle which is formed integral with, cemented, or otherwise
attached to the bulb, tube, or reservoir B. To the nozzle end of the handle A is
screwed a cap or sleeve c and to one end of this is attached a knife D or other
cutting instrument in any convenient manner, but preferably by its shank fitting
into a socket, groove, or slot, and being retained therein by screws d, clamps, or
other devices, to the end of the nozzle is screwed a jet, or nozzle E and through
this and through the nozzle b is formed a continuous passage e of capillary dimen-
sions. Pivoted at the point g is a lever or bar (one end g of which is shaped
so as to form a thumb-cap, by pressing which the lever G can be rocked upon its
pivot g and moved into such a position that a capillary passage is brought into line
with e and b and thus allows of the anesthetic being forced out and sprayed upon
the parts of the subject which are in close proximity to the cutting edge of the
kuife, or other instrument. Or the other end of the lever G may be shaped so as
form a cap g which covers and by means of a rubber packing seals the mouth of
the capillary jet. A spring holds the lever G in its normal closed position until the
thumb-cap is pressed.
CLAIMS.
1. A surgical knife, lancet, or other cutting instrument having a reservoir for
containing an anaesthetic which issues in close proximity to the cutting edge of
the knife or other instrument, substantially as described and shewn.
2. The combination of a surgical knife, or other instrument with an anesthetic
reservoir and means of controlling the flow of the same substantially as described
and shewn.
3. The combination of a surgical knife, or other cutting instrument, an anæs-
thetic reservoir arranged in the handle of the same, a capillary tube, or jet and a
stopcock, or lever serving an equivalent purpose, and operated by a thumb cap or
similar device, substantially as described and shewn.
Dated this 23rd day of April 1895.
CHARLES W. HOWATSON.