An Improved Balling Gun for Animals.
Year: 1896

page_text: UNA
ION.
An Improved Balling Gun for Animals.
JOHN ALLEYNE BOSWORTH Junr. 10 Wood Hill St. Saviours Road Leicester
Veterinary Surgeon's Assistant do hereby declare the nature of this invention to
be as follows:-
An improved method of giving to a horse or beast a ball or balls in a safer &
eisier manner than heretofore practiced it consists in introducing into the mouth of
the animal a metal framework carring a cylinder containing the ball kept by the
guides in a proper position for delivering the ball in front of the fauces beyond
the control of the beast the ball being so delivered by releasing a slight spring.
Dated this 18th day of May 1896.
1, JOHN ALLEYNE BOSWORTH Junior, 10, Wood Hill, St. Saviours Road,
Leicester, Veterinary Surgeon's Assistant, 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:-
This invention has reference to means for administering medicine to animals and
relates more particularly to a new or improved device of simple and efficient
construction and operation for giving pills or medicine balls to horses and other
animals.
According to this invention the pill or medicinal object to be given to the
animal, is placed in a cylinder or holder attached to a convenient framework, and
controlled by a spring and trigger so that when the said holder has been placed as
far as possible inside the animal's mouth the trigger may be pulled by the operator
to withdraw the holder and leave the pill behind the swell of the animal's tongue
in which position it will not be able to eject it, it will therefore be compelled to
enter the esophagus and thus get into the stomach.
The invention will be fully understood from the following further description
having reference to the accompanying drawing in which,
Figure 1 is an elevation of my improved device or balling gun with the operative
end in section to show the internal construction.
In this figure the device is shown with the various parts in proper position for
placing in the animal's mouth to administer the pill or medicinal object.
Figure 2 is an elevation of that part of the gun which is placed in the animal's
mouth and showing the various parts in the positions they occupy after the ball has
been given.
A represents the pill or medicated ball to be administered which is placed inside
a tube or cylindrical holder B as shown.

page_text: This holder has a rim B¹ on the end to prevent injury to the animal's mouth
when it is being inserted.
The said holder B is located in another concentric cylinder or guide C and has
within it a fixed piston D, the rod D' of which is encircled by a spiral spring E
and passes through a hole in the end of the said holder and into the end of the
concentric guide tube C into which it may be screwed as shown or otherwise fixed
firmly therein.
The guide cylinder C is welded or soldered centrally in the wide or front end of
the metal blade er framework F the two limbs F1 F 2 of which unite at their
lower or narrow end and enter a longitudinal slit or saw cut in the thickness of
a wooden or other handle G into which the said end is secured by screws G' or
other means.
At one side of the wide end of the blade there is fulcrummel a detent or
catch H provided with a tooth H at its upper end which is kept normally pressed
through a hole in the guide cylinder C and against the side of the pill holder B by
a preferably loop spring H 2 which is tightened against the detent by the fulcrum
screw 113 so that its two angular ends, pressing one against the guide cylinder C
and the other against the detent H maintain the latter in the normal position
herein before described.
The lower end of the detent has in it a slot in which is fastened the end of a
flexible connecting cord or wire J, which passes through guides F3 soldered or
otherwise attached to the limb F 2 and terminates in a loop around a screw or
pivot K¹ attached to a trigger K fulcrummed at K 2 to the limb F 2.
The connecting cord may be otherwise suitably attached to the trigger.
The various operative parts of my improved balling gun are shown in their
respective normal positions in Fig. 2."
In order to use the device, the operator takes hold of the rim B' and pulls the
pill holder outwards into the position shown in Fig. 1.
Immediately the end of the holder passes beyond the tooth H¹ of the detent H
the said tooth, by the influence of the spring H2, is forced through the hole in the
guide cylinder C and under the end of the pill holder B and thereby keeps the
latter in its extended position and with the spring E compressed between it and
the fixed piston D, the latter for the time being forming the floor of the said
holder.
The medicinal pill or ball may then be placed in the holder B and the wide end
of the blade inserted in the back of the animal's mouth so that the pill or ball is
at the back of the swell of the tongue and in front of the fauces.
The operator thereupon pulls the trigger K with his forefinger and thereby
causes the connecting cord to move the detent so as to withdraw its tooth from
under the holder which by the action of the spring E is at once forced backwards
into the guide cylinder as shown in Fig. 2 leaving the pill at the back of
the animal's mouth from which position it cannot eject it and consequently
swallows it.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what
I claim is :-
1. A device for administering medicine to animals provided with a tube or
holder for the pill or medicinal object, arranged under the control of a spring and
a trigger so that it can be withdrawn and leave the medicated object behind in the
animal's mouth substantially as described.
2. In a device for administering medicine to animals the combination of a spring
controlled pill holder such as B, a guide tube such as C, a detent such as H, a
trigger K and connections for actuating the detent and holder substantially in the
manner and for the purpose described.
3. In a device for administering medicine to animals the combination of a spring
controlled pill holder such as B, fixed piston such as D, a guide tube such as C,

page_text: spring governed detent such as H, trigger K, and flexible connecting cord J
substantially as described and illustrated in the accompanying drawing.
4. The complete device consisting of the parts constructed, arranged and
operating substantially in the manner and for the purpose described and illustrated
in the accompanying drawings.
Dated this 17th dow of Wahmu 1907
Witness-
E. N. LEWIS,
Berridge Street Chambers,
Leicester.
J. A. BOSWORTH, JUN.
Boult & Wade,
Agents for the Applicant.