Improvements in the Construction of Body Batteries for Curative Purposes.
Year: 1892

page_text: Date of Application, 19th May, 1892-Accepted, 25th June, 1892
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in the Construction of Body Batteries for
Curative Purposes.
I, GEORGE TOYE, of 6 Hermitage Villas, Childs Hill, Hendon, in the County
of Middlesex, Electrical Engineer, 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 :—
The object of my invention is to so construct electric batteries to be used on the
body for the purpose of curing various diseases or ailments, that the substance used
for insulating the two elements or electrodes (usually zinc and copper wire twisted
or spirally wound into the form of a belt or band) shall itself contain an excitant,
whereby when such belt or band is worn on the body, the moisture given off there-
from being absorbed by the insulating material will at once render the excitant active
and thus immediately generate a current.
For this purpose before twisting the cotton or other thread round the wires
constituting the elements or electrodes I immerse same in a solution of any suitable
deliquescent salt, and then allow same to dry.
When the battery is made and applied to the part of the body to be treated the
insulating thread will absorb moisture from the body, and so render the excitant
active. When the excitant has become exhausted through use of the battery, the
whole belt or band may be immersed in a solution of the deliquescent salt and then
allowed to dry, whereby the insulating thread will again become charged.
The battery may be used in the form of a belt or band, for which purpose it is
preferably secured to a belt of leather, fabric or other flexible material, provided
with suitable fastenings for fixing it in position on the person; or such battery
may be secured to corsets or other articles of dress; or again, it may be made in
the form of a locket to be hung round the neck or placed on the chest.
In the accompanying drawings
Fig. 1 is a side elevation of a battery constructed according to my
invention, and
Fig. 2 is an elevation of a belt showing a battery applied thereto.
The battery shown in the drawings consists of zinc wire a and copper wire of
any suitable section, and forming the two elements or electrodes, such wires being
twisted or spirally wound so that they form a belt or band in which the zinc and
copper wires alternate.
Either the zine or the copper wire, or both, has a cotton or other thread c of
absorbent material twisted round it, such thread constituting the part for holding
and retaining a suitable deliquescent salt which serves as the active material for
exciting the battery, while at the same time it insulates the zinc and copper wires
from each other. The thread c may be immersed in a solution of the deliquescent
salt (such as a salt of chromium) before it is twisted round the wire, or the wire
carrying the thread may be immersed therein either before or after it is formed
into a belt or band, and when dry the thread will be charged with such salt.
The belt or hand may be of any desired length, and near one end the copper
wire is interrupted as shown at , while near the other end the zinc wire is
interrupted as shown at a¹. A metallic plate A is inserted in the belt or band at
one end, so that its inner end does not reach so far as the place where the copper
wire is interrupted, and this plate forms the contact plate or terminal of the zinc
wire a.
A similar plate B is inserted in the opposite end of the belt or band and
stops short of the place where the zinc wire is interrupted, so that such plate B
forms the contact plate or terminal of the copper wire b.
Upon the belt or band being placed upon any part of the person, with the

page_text: terminals A, B, in contact with the skin, as soon as the thread c absorbs moisture
from the body the excitant becomes active and the current generated by the
battery passes through the body of the wearer.
When the excitant becomes exhausted the band or belt can be re-immersed in a
solution of the deliquescent salt employed and allowed to dry, whereby the thread c
will become again charged with such salt.
The wires a, b, may be wound or twisted round or over a cord of flexible non-
conducting, non-absorbent material C, forming the two edges of the belt or band,
so as to give rigidity to, while permitting perfect flexibility of, the belt, and at the
same time preventing short-circuiting in the battery.
The belt shown in Fig. 2 of the drawings is fitted with a single battery at or
near the centre, while a number of contact plates or terminals A, B, are arranged
at suitable distances apart, and are connected together by metallic leads d and e, so
that when the belt is worn, the contact plates A and B being in contact with the
body at different points, the current generated by the battery will pass all round
the body.
If desired a separate battery could be inserted between each pair of terminals A, B,
in which case the different plates need not be connected together.
When the excitant becomes exhausted the battery or batteries may be removed
and recharged by immersing them in a solution of the deliquescent salt, as above
described.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :-
:―
In batteries to be worn on the person for curative purposes, the use of a thread
of absorbent material twisted round one or both of the wires constituting the
elements or electrodes of such battery, and which thread is charged with a
deliquescent salt which acts as the excitant, substantially as specified.
Dated thin 17th d... LM 1005
ALLISON BROS.,
Agents for the Applicant.