Year: 1885

page_text: I JOHN WELDON SYMINGTON Homoeopathic Practitioner, Lynton House, Banbury,
Oxon 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 :-
My Invention relates to apparatus for the reduction and cure of spinal curvature
and consists of a couch or support furnished with mechanical contrivances whereby
the weight of the patient's body is caused to gently extend the spinal column while
the patients body is held in a correct position under the tension.
Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings forming part of this Speci-
fication wherein figure 1 is a longitudinal vertical section of the apparatus; figure 2
is an end elevation; figure 3 is a plan, and figure 4 is a cross section (taken on
line 1-1 figure 1) of my improved apparatus. Figure 5 shows a detail. The
same letters of reference indicate the same parts in all the figures.
The apparatus is constructed of a pair of side frames A suitably braced and
strutted and of appropriate dimensions and supported on legs preferably at an
inclination of a few degrees from the horizontal or in any other convenient reclining
position. At their higher end there is a board B, which may be suitably padded
for the support of the head and upper part of the patient's body, this board being
hinged at b to the end of the frame but not otherwise connected thereto and
extending about 18 inches from the hinge.
Between the side frames A are a pair of rollers CD the one C beneath the lower
edge of the board B and the other D at the lower or foot end of the couch, their
axles being mounted in bearings, those of roller C being hung from the underside
of board B and those of roller D being in the frames A.
To and on these rollers are securely attached and wound the ends of a flexible
support for the lower part of the body and the legs of the patient, formed of sack-'
ing or webbing E and a number of cross bars or boards E' fixed upon that portion
of the flexible material stretched between the rollers C and D this transversely
stiffened but longitudinally flexible portion forming a continuation of the board B
the whole i.e, the board B and the part E E¹ constituting a flexible support free to
Bag between the side frames A under the weight of the patient as indicated in dotted
lines. This support is maintained at a proper tension by means of worm gear F, G
applied to the axles of the rollers C, D respectively operated by hand wheel
shafts F¹ Gextending to the head of the couch. The worm end of shaft F' is hung
in a bearing carried by the axle of roller C (see figure 5) which passes under or
through a slot in the adjacent side frame A so as to be free to rise and fall with
the head board B the other bearing of said shaft being pivoted to the frame.
The head board B and the cross bars or boards E¹, nearest thereto are pierced
with holes for the attachment thereto of the appliances necessary for retaining
the patients body in the proper position and for applying the required tension,
these contrivances consisting of pairs of curved arms H, H, and I, I, fixed, the one

page_text: pair to the head board B, and the other pair to the flexible support E, E¹. These
arms are pivoted at their lower ends to studs fixed in the holes of the boards by
means of wing nuts (see figure 4) or otherwise so as to be capable of being readily
adjusted in position to suit the patient. These arms are rigid and are of a curvature
to embrace the patients body closely, the pair H passing beneath the arms and
over the chest, and the pair I around the waist immediately above the hips.
These arms are suitably padded and terminate in straps and buckles by which
the two arms of each pair may be firmly united and made to clasp the patient's
body closely.
The arms are so pivoted that they may be disconnected and thrown outwards
(as shown in the case of the arms H, in figures 2 and 3) for the purpose of
admitting the patients body between them, but they have sufficient rigidity in
the longitudinal direction of the couch to withstand the strain of maintaining the
desired tension on the patients body.
Before the patient is placed upon the couch, sufficient tension is applied to the
flexible support by means of the worm gear and rollers to maintain it under the
patient's weight as nearly as possible in a plane. The patient is then firmly secured
upon the couch by the pairs of arms H and I clasping the trunk as above described
and if necessary by straps K affixed to the lower boards E¹ and embracing the legs
of the patient. The flexible support is then slackened off from the roller C by
turning the latter by means of its worm gear F until the weight upon it causes it
to sag and the arms I to move away from the arms H and thus to apply the
required tension to the spinal column of the patient the slack being then taken up
by winding the support onto the lower roller D. By this means the tension is
completely under the control of the operator.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what
I claim is
1. An extension apparatus or couch for applying tension to the spinal column of
the human subject consisting of a flexible support formed partly of a hinged but
longitudinally stationary portion provided with means for clasping the upper part
of the body and partly of a flexible and longitudinally adjustable portion provided
with means for clasping the lower part of the body, the said flexible support being
maintained under the weight of the patient by tension applied longitudinally by
means of gearing, whereby the distance between the two sets of body clasps may
be so regulated as to cause the weight of the lower part of the body to produce the
desired tension on the spinal column, substantially as specified.
2. An extension apparatus for applying tension to the spinal column, consisting
of a flexible support formed by a head-board hinged as described, a longitudinally
flexible and transversely stiffened body support stretched between the free edge
of the head-board and the frame by rollers provided with worm gear for main-
taining and regulating the tension and position of the flexible support, and of
pairs of curved and pivoted arms for clasping the patient's body and affixed
respectively to the stationary and movable parts of the support, all combined for
operation substantially as herein described and shown in the drawings annexed.
Dated thin th Jaw of Nanamba 10OK