AN IMPROVEMENT OR IMPROVEMENTS IN TRUSSES
Year: 1848

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, HENRY
NEWSON, late of Smethwick (near Birmingham), in the County of Stafford,
but now, of Clapham, in the County of Surrey, Engineer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent under the Great Seal of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and
Ireland, bearing date at Westminster, the Twenty-third day of November, in
the twelfth year of Her reign, did give and grant unto me, the said Henry
Newson, my exors, adñiors, and assigns, Her especial licence, full power, sole
privilege and authority, that I, the said Henry Newson, my exors, adiñors,
and assigns, should and lawfully might make, usc, exercise, and vend my
Invention of "AN IMPROVEMENT OR IMPROVEMENTS IN TRUSSES," within England,
Wales, and Berwick-upon-Tweed, the Islands of Jersey, Guernsey, Alderney,
Sark, and Man, and also all Her said Majesty's Colonies and Plantations
abroad, during the term of fourteen years from the day of the date of the
said Letters Patent; which said Letters Patent contain a proviso, requiring
that I, the said Henry Newson, should particularly describe and ascertain
the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, by an instrument in writing under my hand and seal, and cause the
same to be enrolled in Her said Majesty's High Court of Chancery within
six calendar months next and immediately after the date of the said in part
recited Letters Patent, as, reference being thereunto had, will more fully and
at large appear.

page_text: that in compiance with the said proviso, 1, the sand
-Henry Newson, do hereby declare that the nature of my said Invention, and
the manner in which the same is to be performed, are particularly described
and ascertained in and by this present Specification thereof, reference being
had to the several Drawings hereunto annexed, and in which said several
Drawings similar parts are marked and referred to with or by similar letters
or characters (that is to say):-
My said Invention of an improvement or improvements in trusses consists
of an improved mode or modes of constructing the instruments-called trusses
which are worn upon the human body by persons afflicted with hernia, or for
any other cause requiring the support or pressure produced by such instru-
ments upon any part of their bodies; and I construct a truss, according to
my said Invention, of a spring, with a pad, button, or disk firmly attached to
each end thereof, the spring being made of a rod or piece of steel, which is
round, or as nearly so as conveniently may be.
The object with which I construct a truss in this manner is to obtain a spring
which may be bent with equal facility in every direction, so that it may accom-
modate itself to all the ever varying positions of the body of the wearer, without
materially diminishing the pressure of the instrument upon that part of the
body which it is designed to support or protect. In order to manufacture a
truss according to my Invention, I take a piece of ordinary cast steel wire,
but of the best quality and of the requisite thickness, the thickness depending
upon the length of the intended spring, and the degree of pressure to be
applied by means of the instrument. Thus, if a truss be required for an adult
of the average size, afflicted with inguinal hernia, the thickness or diameter
of the spring necessary to be employed in making the truss will be about three-
sixteenths of an inch, or about No. 8 of the ordinary wire guage. The length
of the spring to be used in making one of my trusses will of course depend
upon the size of the person by whom it is to be worn, and the part of the
body to which it is be applied, and if the wearer be a person of the average
size and requires the truss for an inguinal hernia, the length of spring will be
about twenty-two inches. Having obtained a piece of steel wire of the proper
length and thickness, I heat each end of it and then flatten these ends by
hammering, or in any other convenient manner, for receiving the rivets by
means of which they are to be attached to the pads, buttons, or disks, but in
some cases, in which the pads or disks are not to be attached by means of
rivets, the ends of the wire are not to be flattened in this way.
I next
anneal the wire by heating it in the manner ordinarily practised for that pur-
pose, and whilst hot I punch a hole in each end to receive the rivets by which

page_text: manner.
the pads or disks are to be attached, and after the wire becomes cold I bend it
into the required shape by hammering, pressure, or in any other convenient
The shape must of course in every case depend not only upon the
size of the person for whom the truss is intended, but also the part of the body
and purpose to which it is to be applied, and the spring should be bent in such
a manner that when in action it will fit comfortably upon that part of the body
upon which it is to be worn. The wire must also be bent in such direction and
manner that the ends of the spring and their pads or disks shall fit upon or
press against the proper parts of the body, that is to say, the part of the body
to be supported or protected, and the part of the body which is to sustain the
counterpressure, or by or upon which the opposite end of the spring is to be
supported, and it is desirable when that object can be conveniently accom-
plished to make each leg of the spring of the same length. Peculiar con-
structions of body and other causes, however, frequently operate so as to
prevent the accomplishment of this object, as is well known to makers of
trusses, and in such cases all that can be done is to adopt the best form
practicable, taking care as far as possible to regulate the bending of the wire
which is to form the truss so as to obtain the required pressure in the
direction which will be most effective and useful, so that the wearer may not
be subject to the action of any greater amount of pressure than shall be
absolutely necessary. The degree of power or pressure which the truss is to be
capable of exerting is to be regulated not only by the size or thickness of the
wire used in forming the spring, but also the extent to which the wire is
bent beyond the position which it will occupy when put upon the body. The
wire or piece of steel which is intended to form the spring being thus bent
into the requisite form, it is then to be hardened in the ordinary manner, care
being taken during that process not to alter the shape into which the wire
has been bent. If I harden the whole length of the piece of wire or steel in
this way, I afterwards beat about an inch at each end of the wire, so as to
render those parts soft and capable of being bent or twisted; but I more
frequently in hardening the piece of wire (which is done by plunging it in a
heated state into cold water) avoid hardening about an inch at each of
the two ends by plunging the whole of the piece of heated wire except
those parts into the cold water. These ends are made or kept soft in
this manner for the purpose of enabling the person who wears the truss to
bend or twist them with their pads or disks in such a manner as to cause them
to fit accurately and comfortably against the parts upon which they are to be
worn. I then proceed to polish and brighten the piece of steel wire, after
which I temper the hardened. part of it in the usual manner adopted in

page_text: tempering steel springs, either by passing a heated bar of iron gradually along it,
or in any other convenient manner, the requisite effect being well known to be
obtained upon production of what is commonly called the "blue tint."
The size and shape of the pads or disks to be attached to the ends of a
spring will depend not only upon the particular parts of the body to which they
are to be applied, but also to the degree of pressure which is intended to be
applied to the part of the body to-be supported or protected; in a great
majority of cases round pads or disks of about two inches in diameter, and
slightly convex on their sides, which are to be applied to the body, will be
found to be proper and convenient. The pads or disks may, however, be made
of an oval, or any other shape necessary or proper for the purpose of causing
them to fit most conveniently to the parts of the body to which they are to be
applied, and they may also be made with any degree of convexity which may
be requisite for the same purpose; and if the particular part of the body to
be supported or protected should happen to require a pad or disk to be
made so as to present a concave surface to the part to be supported or pro-
tected (as in the case of some irreducible hernias) I alter the construction of
the pad accordingly.
In many cases I deem it most advisable to give the pads or disks a slight
covering or cushion upon their sides which are to be presented to the body,
but in some cases it may be found desirable, for the sake of economy, or other-
wise, to apply the pad or disk to the body without covering, and in other cases
to attach to them soft or stuffed cushions of any description usually applied to
the pads of trusses. If a pad or disk is intended to have a cushion applied or
attached to the face of it, it may be necessary to make the face of the pad or
disk flat, or even concave, so as the better to fix or secure the cushion or stuffing
to be placed upon it. The pads or disks to be attached to a spring are to be
rivetted to the ends of it, or attached to the ends by means of screws, or in any
other convenient manner, and in some cases it may be found more convenient
to cause the ends of the spring to be bent and threaded, as shewn in Figure 10
of the Drawings hereunto annexed, so as to form screws to be screwed into
nuts or bosses affixed to the backs of the pads or disks, as shewn in section
in Figure 11, and this may be found convenient for enabling a person fitting
a truss upon the body to attach to a spring of the requisite length and strength
such pads or disks as may be best adapted to suit the circumstances of the
particular case.
. The whole truss made in the way which I have described may be covered
with leather or any other covering which may be preferred, in the usual way
adopted by truss makers, or the truss (exclusive of the cushion, if any,) may be.

page_text: japanned, varnished, plated, or in any other manner protected from rust or
injury.
By constructing a truss in the way which I have described for a person
afflicted with inguinal or femoral hernia I am enabled to make the spring pass
round the side of the body opposite to the ruptured side, and so obtain such a
length of spring as to make the action of the instrument easy and comfortable
to the wearer, and in a great majority of cases, at least, I am also enabled in
making such trusses to dispense with the application of any band or cord to
retain them in their places. This mode of constructing my trusses also.
enables me in making a truss for a case of hernia of the description I have
just mentioned, and some others, to make each leg of the spring of the same-
length or nearly so, and thus to cause the pad or disk which is to be worn on
the back to sustain the counterpressure to be placed upon a part of the back
which is immediately behind or opposite to although a little higher up than the
place at which the front pad or disk presses upon the part of the body to
be supported, or nearly so, for the purpose of causing the pressure applied to.
the part to be supported or protected to be given in the proper direction. In
every case in which a pad is to be applied to the back I take care, if prac-
ticable, to place the pad upon a part a little to one side of the spine, so as to
prevent the injurious effects which might be produced by a pressure upon
that part of the body..
In making the spring of a truss to fit any particular part of the body it is
most important to bend it into such a form as to cause it to lie as close to the
body as conveniently may be without impeding the action of the spring, and,
as far as practicable, to cause the spring to pass round such part of the body
as will not only enable the wearer to have the benefit of the free and easy
action of a long spring, but it will also enable the wearer to dispense with the
application of any band or cord for keeping the truss in its place. It is also
most important to bear in mind, that the leg of the spring, to one end of which
is attached the pad or disk to be applied to the part to be supported, should be
bent in such a way that that leg, or the greater part of it at least, may be free
from any pressure against the body which can impede the action of the spring
upon the pad or disk. Although I believe that in a vast majority of cases,
my trusses will not need bands, straps, or cords to keep them in their places,
yet if such bands, straps, or cords should in any cases be found to be con-
venient or necessary, they may be attached to then at the backs of the pads
or disks, or in any other convenient way, and in like manner as such bands,
straps, or cords are usually attached to trusses worn for the same or similar
purposes.

page_text: In order to illustrate the preceding description, and make it more clear, I
will, with the aid of several Figures contained in the Drawings hereunto
annexed, shew-the manner in which I make, according to my said. Invention,
trusses which are intended to be worn by persons afflicted with inguinal or
femoral hernia. Figures-1,-2,-and-3_of_the_said Drawings shew several views
of a truss without covering or cushion, which is constructed according to my
said Invention, and which may be worn for an inguinal or femoral hernia on
either side of the body. Figure 1 shews the form of the truss before it is
placed upon the body; Figure 2 shews the form which the truss assumes
when it is placed-upon-the-body-;-and-Eigure-3 represents a side or edge view
of the truss when slung by its middle in a vertical position. In these Figures,
a is the front leg of the spring, having its pad or disk rivetted upon the
side of it, and the leg of the spring is bent in such a manner that it will
pass over the projection of the abdomen without touching it, so as to impede
the action of the spring; c is the other or back leg of the spring, having
its pad or disk rivetted upon the end of it; and as this leg of the spring is to
pass across the back it has been less bent than the front leg, because the
same degree of curvature is not necessary for keeping this leg of the spring
free from contact with the back. The pad or disk b is shewn in these Figures
as being larger than the pad or disk d, because in many cases it is desirable,
if not necessary, to make the front pad or disk which is to be applied to
the part of the body to be supported somewhat larger than the back pad or
disk which is to be placed upon that part of the back which is to sustain the
counterpressure.
Figure 4 is a view of a similar truss constructed according to my Invention,
but the spring of which is formed or bent somewhat askew; so as to use for
sustaining the counterpressure a part of the body which is a little higher up
than the part to be supported, a truss having a spring thus bent being suitable
to be applied for an inguinal or fermoral hernia on the right side of the
abdomen. If this kind of truss is intended for a hernia on the left-hand side
of the abdomen it should be formed askew in the opposite direction to that
represented in Figure 4.
Figures 5 and 6 represent views similar to those shewn in Figures 1
and 2, but of a truss which has been covered with chamois leather and
stuffed in the ordinary way. The construction of a truss in manner or
upon the principle herein-before described will by reason of the form of
the spring allow each leg of the spring to be pressed outwards from the
body, or in any other direction which may be required, by the motions of the
body or the changes in its position. Thus, the front leg of the spring of a

page_text: truss such as shewn in Figures 1, 2, 3, and 4, and its pad or disk, may by
motions or changes in the positions of the body be bent or twisted into
positions similar to those shewn by dotted lines in Figure 4, and the back leg
of the spring with its pad or disk may in like manner be bent or twisted into
positions similar to those shewn by dotted lines in Figure 3. Whilst the
elasticity of the spring thus allows the truss to accommodate itself to the various
motions and changes in the positions of the body without the aid of a ball and
socket or any other joint, the pads or disks are held firmly in their proper.
positions upon the ends of the spring, and the spring continues to press the
front pad or disk against the part of the body which it is intended to support
or protect. If a truss has been made in the manner already described and so as
to fit the body of the wearer, the ordinary motions and changes in the positions
of the body will rarely cause the truss to press anywhere except where
pressure is required, viz, at the pads or disks; and in order to cause the truss
to act in this satisfactory manner, particular care should be taken in fitting
the truss, if necessary, to bend or twist the flexible or softened end of each leg
of the spring, so as to prevent any part of it from pressing against the body,
and also to cause the pad to fit as accurately as may be to the part against
which it is to press.
I deem it important to attend carefully to the matters
I have just mentioned, inasmuch as the pressure of the truss on any other
portion of the body than those which are intended to be pressed and to
sustain the counterpressure is unnecessarily inconvenient to the wearer of the
truss, and if the pressure operates at all upon the contents of the abdomen
such pressure will tend to force out the contents at the ruptured part, and thus,
in some measure at least, to counteract the object for which the truss is worn.
The difficulty which has hitherto frequently been found in causing trusses to
operate properly in this respect will, I believe, be considerably lessened, if not
entirely removed; by constructing trusses in the manner I have described.
Figures 7, 8, and 9 of the said Drawings shew the manner in which my
trusses are to be applied and worn in cases of inguinal and femoral hernias ou
either of the sides of the abdomen. If for an inguinal or femoral hernia on
the right-hand side of the abdomen, the truss is to be applied and worn as
represented in the front view of the abdomen of a male in Figure 7, in which
Figure is shewn the position of the front leg of the spring and the pad or
disk of the truss when placed upon the front of the body, and also in dotted
lines the position of the back leg of the spring and pad or disk of the truss
as applied to the back. If the truss be worn by a person afflicted with
inguinal or femoral hernia on the left-hand side of the abdomen, the truss is
to be applied and worn as represented in the front view of the abdomen of

page_text: a female in Figure 8, in which Figure is shewn the position of the front leg:
of the spring and pad or disk of the truss when placed upon the front of the
body, and also in dotted lines the position of the back leg of the spring and
pad or disk of the truss as applied to the back.
Figure 9 represents a back view of Figure 8, and shews the manner in
which the back pad or disk is placed upon the back of the person about two
inches from the spine, that being a place which I deem to be the best for
sustaining the counterpressure in cases of inguinal or femoral hernia.
It will be found that trusses of this description may be placed upon the
body and removed with great facility and it is hardly necessary to observe that
if the hernia is on the right side of the abdomen the truss (the spring being
held open for that purpose) must be put upon the body from the left side,
and that if the hernia is upon the left side of the abdomen the truss
must be in like manner put upon the body from the right side. The
trusses which I have shewn in the said Figures and before described
as fit to be used by persons afflicted with inguinal or femoral hernia, are
trusses which are applicable to cases in which such persons have only one
such hernia; but in case any person should happen to be afflicted with such a
hernia on each side of the abdomen, such person may either wear two trusses
of the description herein-before mentioned, or may use a double truss con-
structed in a manner similar to the truss shewn in Figures 12, 13, 14, 15,
and 16 of the said Drawings hereunto annexed.
Figure 12 is a top view of a double truss made according to my said
Invention, as it appears before it receives any covering, cushion, or stuffing.
It consists in effect of two single trusses connected together by means of a
piece of webbing or flexible material x, (shewn separately in Figure 16)
attached to the backs of the two pads or disks d, d, as shewn in Figures 12,
13, and 14.
The chief difference between the construction of each of these single trusses
together forming a double truss and the trusses before described consists in
this, that each of their legs are shorter than the legs of those before described,
and the back pad of each of these single trusses is furnished with a return or
raised part, to which the piece of webbing already mentioned is to be attached.
Figure 13, is an edge or front view, and Figure 14 a back view of the same
double truss; and Figure 15 is a top view of a similar double truss furnished
with cushions and covered in the ordinary manner.
Figure 17 is a front view of the abdomen of a male person, shewing the
mode of applying the truss (shewn in a covered state) to the body in a case
in which the person is afflicted with a hernia on each side of the abdomen; and

page_text: Figure 18 is a view of part of the back of the same person, shewing the mode
in which the truss is placed upon the back.
Although I have shewn this particular mode of connecting the two halves
of a double truss together, any other convenient mode of connecting them may
be adopted, and the shape of the back pads or disks d, d, may be altered
according to circumstances, as before mentioned.
For the purpose of more clearly explaining the nature and application of
my said Invention I have represented in the said Drawings and herein-before
described such trusses constructed as are to be worn for ruptures on either
side or both sides of the abdomen only, yet I do not intend thereby to limit
the application of my said Invention to these kinds of trusses, but I intend
also to apply my said Invention to the construction of trusses to be worn by
persons afflicted with "ruptured navel," or any other description of hernia, or
by persons who for any other cause require such a pressure as can be given
by means of such trusses upon any parts of their bodies, constructing such
trusses in every case according to my said Invention, as herein-before
described.
Having now described the nature of my said Invention, and the manner in
which the same is to be performed, I hereby declare that I claim as of my
Invention the mode or modes of constructing trusses of the description herein-
before mentioned, of springs made round, or as nearly so as conveniently may
be, and of pads or disks attached thereto, in manner herein-before described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Henry Newson, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Twenty-third day of May, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and forty-nine.