Improvements in and relating to Mouth Gags.
Year: 1897

page_text: Date of Application, 5th Jan., 1897-Accepted, 20th Mar. 1897
שגם מ-
Improvements in and relating to Mouth Gags.
We, ARTHUR WILLIAM Down, and HUBERT VINCENT DOWN, both of
21 St. Thomas's Street, Borough, London, Surgical Instrument Makers, 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 relates to improvements in and relating to mouth gags such as
are employed by surgeons and others to force open the jaws of his patient and
our invention consists in a mouth gag which is automatically locked as the jaws
are being forced apart but which can be instantly released when desired and which
mouth gag is integrally formed with a vapour tube-for the introduction into the
patients mouth of anesthetics-the whole being constructed substantially as
hereinafter described and illustrated.
In the annexed drawing our invention is illustrated in perspective side elevation
and in carrying our invention into practice we make our improved mouth gag of
two parts A, A¹, pivotally connected in about the usual way at a so that when the
handles a¹ are pressed together the arms will be forced apart. One of the
parts, say A¹ has fixed to it a segmental rack B which passes through an aperture
in the upper part A. To said upper part A we pivotally attach a trigger or the
like C the opposite end of which extends about across the rack B said end-which
is formed to act as a catch-being normally pressed into engagement with said
rack B by means of a spring D the teeth of the rack B and its catch being of
such a shape as to permit the ends a¹ being pressed together-so as to force the
arms bb apart-but the reverse movement of said arms is only possible when the
thumb piece or trigger C is depressed so that its opposite end shall be disengaged
from the rack B, as will be readily understood from the drawing.
Mouth gags of the hitherto usual construction have been provided with a vapour
tube which has been soldered on to one of the arms of the mouth gag and our
invention further consists in dispensing with such soldered on vapour tube and its
defects, the chief of which are the difficulty of cleansing the inside of said tube
or the removal of any obstruction from the interior; the liability of said tube being
crushed either by the pressure of the patients teeth or by dropping the mouth gag
and also the liability of the soldered on tube becoming detatched from its arm.
These defects are obviated in our improved mouth gag in which we form the
greater part of the arm b with a groove which communicates at each end with a
tubular part 3 respectively of said arm. The part 6 is provided with a socket
or nipple in about the usual manner and the parts 63 64 are connected by means
of an elastic and removable tube which preferably rests in the groove of the arm.
By our improved construction the whole of the parts can be readily got at for
cleansing or other purposes and the trouble and expense of soldering on a separate
tube is avoided. If desired both of the arms 66' may be formed tubular and
grooved as desired.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what we
claim is:-
1. A mouth gag having a segmental rack and a catch for the purpose and
substantially no described and illustrated

page_text: 2. A mouth gag having one or both arms grooved and formed with a tubular
part such as b for the purpose and substantially as described and illustrated.
3. A mouth gag having in combination a segmental rack and a catch and having
one or both arms grooved and formed with a tubular part such as 6* all for the
urposes and substantially as described and illustrated.
ARTHUR WILLIAM DOWN,
HUBERT VINCENT DOWN,
By their Agents, Horn, Son & Co.,
151, Strand (next to Somerset House), London.
ARTHUR WILLIAM DOWN,
HUBERT VINCENT DOWN,
By their Agents, Horn, Son & Co.,
151, Strand (next to Somerset House), London.