IMPROVED MEANS OR APPARATUS FOR GENERATING AND APPLYING ELECTRICITY FOR THERAPEUTIC PURPOSES
Year: 1874

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Thomas Welton, of Grafton Street, Fitzroy
Square, in the County of Middlesex, for the Invention of "IMPROVED
MEANS OR APPARATUS FOR GENERATING AND APPLYING ELECTRICITY FOR
THERAPEUTIC PURPOSES."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Thomas Welton at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
28th July 1874.
I; THOMAS WELTON, of Grafton Street, Fitzroy Square, in the County
5 of Middlesex, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for
-"IMPROVED MEANS OR APPARATUS FOR GENERATING AND APPLYING: ELECTRICITY
FOR THERAPEUTIC PURPOSES," to be as follows:—
My İnvention consists in the manufacture of what I term a "galvanic
locket," the outer case of which is made of one metal, while within the
▸ case are one or more pieces of another metal, the two metals being such
as will constitute what is technically called a galvanic pair. A wire or
-strip of metal from the inside piece or pieces projects through the outer

page_text: case. I take for example one or more pieces of copper, gilt, or platinized,
and I hollow them out and unite them by a joint or otherwise so as to
form a sort of box or locket. In this box or locket I place one or more
pieces of zinc, magnesium, or aluminium, and to these I affix a wire or
strip of metal, which I allow to project through the box or locket. The
pieces of zinc, magnesium, or aluminium may be enclosed in flannel or
any other suitable non-conducting material. The apparatus thus made
will constitute a galvanic battery when excited by salt and water,
vinegar, or other acid. Or I make a box or locket of zinc, magnesium,
or aluminium, and place therein one or more thin pieces of carbon, such
as is obtained from gas retorts, and to these pieces I attach the projecting
wire or strip of metal. The zinc, magnesium, or aluminium may be
gilt, platinized, or plated with nickel or other metal, and the carbon may
be enclosed in a metal case or in flannel or other non-conducting
material. Or I take two plates of the carbon and encloso or cover them
entirely or partially with metal or vulcanite so as to form a box or locket,
and within this I place one or more plates of zinc, magnesium, or
aluminium, to which I affix the projecting wire or metal strip. Or I
affix to one side of a rim of metal or of vulcanite a piece of palladium,
platinum, copper, gold, silver, or any of these metals which may be
electro-plated one with another, and to the other side of the said rim I
affix a piece of zinc, magnesium, or aluminium, thus forming a sort of
box or locket, one side of which is electro-positive and the other electro-
negative. Or I take two plates, say copper and zinc, to form a galvanic
pair, and place between them woollen or other suitable non-conducting
substance, which may be saturated or imprognated with any saline or
acid liquor or material: I then affix the two plates together by sewing,
cementing, or otherwise, so to form a box or locket.
The boxes or lockets made as herein-before explained may be sewn or
⚫ otherwise attached to leather, webbing, or other flexible or textile
material either singly or a number of them to form a chain. They may
be japanned, enamelled, or otherwise ornamented, and I find it advan-
tageous to perforate them in order that the heat and moisture from the
body may enter the locket and excite the battery.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Thomas Welton in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 28th January 1875.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, THOMAS
WELTON, of Grafton Street, Fitzroy Square, in the County of Middlesex,
send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Twenty-eighth day of July, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-four, in
the thirty-eighth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and
successors, give and grant unto me, the said Thomas Welton, Her
special licence that I, the said Thomas Welton, my executors, admini-
strators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Thomas Welton, my
executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any time agree with,
and no others, from time to time and at all times thereafter. during
the term therein expressed, should and lawfully might make, use,
exercise, and vend; within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and
Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for
"IMPROVED MEANS OR APPARATUS FOR GENERATING AND APPLYING ELECTRICITY
FOR THERAPEUTIC PURPOSES," upon the condition (amongst others) that I,
the said Thomas Welton, my executors or administrators, by an instru-
ment in writing under my, or their, or one of their hands and seals,
should particularly describe and ascertain the nature of the said
Invention, and in what manner the same was to be performed, and
cause the same to be filed in the Great Seal Patent Office within six
calendar months next and immediately after the date of the said Letters
Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Thomas Welton, do hereby declare
the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is
to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and
by the following statement thereof, reference being had to the accom-
panying Drawings, that is to say:-
My Invention consists in the manufacture of what I term a "galvanic
locket," the outer case of which is made of one metal, while within the
case are one or more pieces of another metal, the two metals being such
as will constitute what is technically called a galvanic pair. A strip or

page_text: wire of metal from the inside piece or pieces projects through the outer
case. I take for example one or more pieces of copper, gilt or platinized,
and I hollow them out and unite them by a joint or otherwise so as to
form a sort of box or locket. In this box or locket I place one or more
pieces of zinc, magnesium, or aluminium, and to theso I affix a strip or
wire of metal, which I allow to project through the box or locket. Tho
pieces of zinc, magnesium, or aluminium should be enclosed in flannel
or any other suitable non-conducting material. The apparatus thus
made will constitute a galvanic battery when excited by salt and water,
vinegar, or other acid. Or I make a box or locket of zinc, magnesium, 1
or aluminium, and place thercin one or more thin pieces of carbon, such
as is obtained from gas retorts, and to theso pieces I attach the pro-
jecting strip or wiro. The zinc, magnesium, or aluminium may be gilt,
platinized, or plated with nickel or other metal, and the carbon may be
enclosed in a metal case or in flannel or other non-conducting material.
Or I take two plates of the carbon and enclose or cover them entirely or
partially with metal or vulcanite so as to form a box or locket, and
within this I place one or more plates of zinc, magnesium, or aluminium,
to which I affix the projecting wire or metal strip. Or I affix to one
side of a rim of metal or of vulcanite a piece of palladium, platinum,
copper, gold, silver, or any of these metals which may be electro-plated
one with another, and to the other side of the said rim I affix a piece of
zinc, magnesium, or aluminium, thus forming a sort of box or locket,
one side of which is electro-positivo and the other electro-negative. Or
I take two plates, say copper and zinc, to form a galvanic pair, and place
between them woollen or other suitable non-conducting substance, which
may be saturated or impregnated with any saline or acid liquor or
material. I then affix the two plates together by sewing, cementing, or
otherwise so as to form a box or locket.
The boxes or lockets made as herein-before explained may be sewn or
otherwise attached to leather, webbing, or other flexible or textile
material, either singly or a number of them to form chain. They
may be japanned, enamelled, or otherwise ornamented, and I find it
advantageous to perforate them in order that the licat and moisture from
the body may enter the locket and excite the battery.
In the accompanying Drawings I shew as an example one form of my
galvanic locket and of the manner of constructing and uniting the parts
of the same.

page_text: a, Figure 1, represents a plate of (say) gilt copper stamped into a
hollowed or concave form, with a series of depressions c on its convex
side and with a loop d; b, Figure 2, represents a corresponding plate of
similar metal, also stamped into a hollowed or concave form, and with a
series of tongues c¹³ and a loop d. These two plates a, b, constitute one
element of the galvanic pair.
Figure 3 represents the other element, which consists of a piece of
(say) zinc e. To this piece is affixed a strip of metal f, which projects
therefrom, as shewn, and has jointed to it a metallic piece g.
Figure 4 is a front view and Figure 5 a transverse section of the
complete locket.
It will be seen that the piece e, Figure 3, is placed in the box or locket
formed by placing the two plates a, b, together, their concave sides
facing each other, and that the parts are secured by turning down the
tongues c¹ of the plate into the depressions c of the plate a. Before
the piece e is put in place it is surrounded with flannel h or other suitable
non-conducting material, while a piece of india-rubber i or other insu-
lating material is put round the strip f to keep it from contact with the
plates a, b. The two loops d, d³, together form a single loop by which
the locket may be suspended.
And having now described the nature of my said Invention, and in
what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that I claim the
construction or manufacture of what I have herein-before termed the
"galvanic locket," substantially as herein-before described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Thomas Welton, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Twenty-seventh day of January, One
thousand eight hundred and seventy-five.