Improvements in Massage Gloves.
Year: 1893

page_text: Date of Application, 10th Oct., 1893-Accepted, 11th Nov., 1893
Improvements in Massage Gloves.
I CARL SPRICK, Junr. of Löbauerstrasse 24 Dresden, N. in the Empire of
Germany, Electrician, 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 :-
Massage under co-operation of electricity is at present done by using instruments
having a current conducting coil led or passed under pressure over the part of the
body to be treated.
This method of electric massage is a very defective one since the masseur using
such an instrument fails to obtain that delicate manipulation which he possesses
when using the hands alone. Moreover the current producing coils are of such
dimensions that it is impossible in every case to adapt such coils to the part of the
body to be treated. In short, without the direct use of the hands no effective
massage can be obtained.
The object of this invention is to provide an auxiliary means by which it. is
possible to use the hands and each or one of the fingers during the massage in
co-operation with electricity so that the disadvantages and defects originating from
the present method of massage is obviated, while the natural method of massage by
hand is obtained.
The improved auxiliary means of massage has the form of a glove, and when
used for massage purposes is drawn over the hands and fastened in a similar way to
ordinary gloves; the glove may be made with fingers, or bag shaped or as a glove
with a single finger.
In the annexed drawing two modes are illustrated,
Fig. 1 shows an electrical fingered glove, and Fig. 2 a single electrical finger with
two plain fingers on either side.
Fig. 3 shows how the massage glove is manipulated, the person operating
carrying the electric source on his back.
The glove is formed of three layers placed one above the other. a is the under
or insulating layer, this layer is made of a material which does not conduct
electricity, is the middle or "electricity receiving" and conducting layer which is
shown cross hatched on the drawing and is made of a metallic material which
conducts electricity intensely. This intermediating layer is connected or united
with the under layer either by chemical means or by elastic or flexible metal
plates or metallic webbing or in any other suitable way. It is most necessary
that this electricity conducting layer must have the dimension of the insulating
layer a and needs only be of such a breadth as is required for the part of the body
to be treated.
c is the upper or massage layer and consists of any material convenient for
massage and is suitably connected with the two lower layers a and b, in such a
manner that this uppermost layer c may be disconnected or separated from the
lower ones a and b or exchanged.
The insulating layer a serves to protect the operator against the effects of the
electricity imparted to the electricity conducting layer b. The current conducting
layer serves to receive the current from the electric source and to lead this
current through the massage or rubbing layer c into the part of the body to be
treated.
The manipulation of this glove is as follows:-The masseur draws the glove over
his hand and connects the middle or electricity conducting layer with an electric
source, which may be suitably placed anywhere or which may be fixed on the back
of the masseur as shown in Fig. 3. Then the massage may be commenced in the

page_text: usual way. The uppermost or massage layer c must be made to conduct electricity
during the process.
To treat parts of the body to which no access can be had with the whole hand,
the glove may be constructed with a single finger made electrically conducting
while the adjacent fingers may be formed of an insulating layer a in order to
prevent the electricity from passing into the body of the masseur.
This glove also serves for the mere inassage without the co-operation of
electricity when the layer c is made of a suitable massage or rubbing material.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is,
The electric massage glove consisting of a combination of three layers placed one
above the other being an under or insulating layer a a middle or "electric con-
ducting" layer and an upper or massage layer c so constructed that the upper
layer can be separated from the layers a and b and an electric current passed to
the middle layer band insulated by layer a so as not to penetrate the body of the
masseur but pass through the massage or rubbing layer to the part of the body to
be treated.
•
Dated this 10th day of October 1893.
R. HADDAN,
Of the Firm of Herbert Haddan & Co.,
18, Buckingham Street, Strand, London, W.C., Agent to Applicant.