Catamenial Use.
Year: 1888

page_text: Date of Application, 12th Oct., 1888
Specification Accepted, 16th Nov., 1888
Catamenial Use.
I, MATILDA MARY ARNOTT of Whiteladies Road College Clifton Bristol in the
county of Gloucestershire, Private Secretary, 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, and in the accompanying
drawings
This Invention consists of a belt to fix round the body and a Towel or diaper of a
certain shape and method of folding, and a protective article of the same shape and
about the same size as the towel made of oil skin or similar substance, and the various
ways in which these three articles are secured to each other and to the wearer. I first
construct of Flannel, Sateen, or other material a broad belt for preference in two halves
joined together by two buckles and straps which can be adjusted for convenience of the
wearer the other ends also have straps and Buckles for securing this belt around the
person at the region of the abdomen and base of the back. I fix a Buckle on outside
of the belt and near each end of both of these halves of the belt near the bottom
edge of the same, and to the two buckles of the one half I secure the straps or tapes
from the two top most corners of the towel, the other two buckles on the other half
of the belt are used for securing the tapes or straps from the two lower end corners
of the towel when the towel is adjusted and fixed on to the person. I now form in
oilskin or such like material a protector shaped similarly to the towel and of about the
same size, this, I bind with silk braid or similar material to prevent same from
tearing or fraying, and at each corner I make a loop and the tapes or straps from each
corner of the towel respectively is threaded through a loop at the like corner of the
protector before being attached to the buckles of the straps-By these means the
protector is secured to, and over the towel, and suspended from the belt, and the
protector is so fixed on that when the towel is fitted for wear it is outside the said
towel.
The object of this oilskin protector is to prevent the clothes of the wearer of this
combination from being soiled through the towel-The towel I make of any suitable

page_text: textile material of an absorbent nature and I form and shape it in the following
manner I take a piece of textile material and cut it to about the shape of Figure 1,
in the drawings here to annexed and I fold the sides over to the position as indicated
by dotted lines, when the corners are so folded over to overlap each other, the shape
is obtained as shewn by Figure 2.-A piece of material the exact shape of the form
now obtained and similar to Figure 2, is now stitched alround this folded portion and
covers up and maintains down the turned over corners. It will thus be seen that the
portion of the towel or diaper receiving the bulk of the discharge is of a fourfold
thickness whereas the other parts of the towel or diaper contain only two thicknesses-
tapes are attached to each of the four corners as shewn by Fig. 2, and as before
described.
The combination of a broad belt with a towel has the advantage of giving
abdominal support during menstruation which is much required-This-belt is bound
and may be stiffened to give additional support.
In order that the nature of my said invention may be the better understood I will
proceed to describe the several figures on the sheet of drawings hereunto annexed, all
of which figures are marked with the like letters of reference throughout.
Figure 1 shews in elevation about the shape I cut my material to for making my
improved towel the dotted lines at A A indicate where it is to be folded over.
Figure 2, shews in elevation the towel or diaper finished, the dotted lines shew
where it is folded ovor, and the diamond shape enclosed by the dotted lines and
lettered B. indicates the area of fourfold thicknesses, C. C. C. C. shews the tapes for
passing through the loops of the oilskin protector.
As my said invention is capable of various modifications without departing from
the principle thereof I do not restrict myself to materials, dimensions or to the precise
form or placement of the folded over portions of the towel, or to the exact method
of adjusting the towel and protector to each other and to the belt.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is, to be performed I declare that what
I claim is :-
I. The combination of a belt and a shaped towel, or diaper, and a similarly shaped
oilskin covering or protector, all as before described in this specification and illustrated
by accompanying drawings for the use of women during the period of menstruation.
II. A towel or diaper, formed in the shape and manner set forth in this specification
and illustrated by the accompanying drawings Nos. 1 and 2, for the use of women
during menstruation.
Dated this 11th day of October 1888