Year: 1886

page_text: I, ANDREW T. SHERWOOD, of 330 Sutter Street, in the city and county of San
Francisco, State of California, United States of America, Physician, 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 certain improvements in trusses and truss-pads for
the treatment of hernia; in a means for connecting the same with an electric
battery or pairs, which may be worn about the person; in an improvement in a
voltaic belt by which electricity is generated for therapeutical purposes; and in the
means of connecting the same with a truss-pad when the two are to be used together,
so that the electric current may be used or cut off at will; it also relates to certain
details of construction which will be more fully described by reference to the
accompanying drawings, in which
Figure 1 is a sectional view of my truss-pad.
Figure 2 shows the attachments of the truss-pad and belt.
Figure 3 shows the manner of connecting and detaching the electric belt with the
truss-belt and pad.
Figure 4 is a view of the voltaic belt, with the folding envelope or cover showing
a part of it turned up to expose the metallic portion of the belt, and showing its
connections.
Figure 5 is an enlarged view of one of the links of my belt, showing its con-
struction.
A is a pad, such as is used on trusses for the treatment of hernia.
This pad I make of some elastic yielding substance or material secured upon a
suitable base or back-plate, and provide it with a membraneous outer covering of
animal tissue, which will serve as a good conductor of electricity.
I prefer to use the dried membraneous covering which comes from the hearts of
beeves for this purpose. To the back-plate, or within a small chamber in the back
of the truss-pad, I sometimes secure a galvanic battery, composed of one or more
elements which are constructed and arranged in the ordinary manner of constructing
such galvanic pairs.
If the back-plate is composed of a substance which acts as a conductor of
electricity, I insulate it from the battery or pairs, in any of the known ways.

page_text: In the front of the truss-pad, I place underneath the membraneous covering or
integument, one or more plates of metal which will serve as poles for the battery,
and these poles or plates I connect with the battery in the back of the pad by means
of flexible elastic conductors.
I prefer to use light metallic wire twisted into a spiral so as to form springs which
pass through the elastic portion of the pad, and yield with it to any pressure that
may be applied to the front of the pad, but at the same time maintain perfect
electrical connections between the battery and the poles or plates on the face of
the pad.
Electricity is thus applied to the rupture, at the same time the pressure applied
by the pad is soft and elastic, thus allowing the electricity to be more effective, and
at the same time affording the patient greater comfort and a better retaining effect
than if the pad were hard or solid.
From a convenient point on the back of plate B a stout pin C projects and is
attached to an elastic metallic plate D, which is supported within the flexible belt E,
so that when the latter is placed about the person the elastic metallic plate may act
to press the pad against the part to be treated.
The rivet or pin C is fixed so tight that the pad cannot be turned without con-
siderable force, but it may be adjusted to any angle with relation to the supporting
belt so that it can be applied to the person in any desired position, and will then
remain in place. In order to hold the belt and pad in proper position, it is usual to
employ a strap F, which passes beneath the thigh, and its ends are attached at or
near the pad and to the rear portion of the belt.
In order to make the connection so that the strain will come upon the pivot pin
to which the pad is adjusted, I employ a swivel-hook G, one end of which is loosely
attached to the pin C, so that it may turn in any direction without influencing or
changing the position of the pad itself.
The anterior end of the leg-strap has a ring or other device, by which it may be
connected with this hook, and by this arrangement it will be seen that the movement
of the person or the leg-strap will cause the swivel-hook to yield and move about
the pin, without in any way disarranging the adjustment of the pad itself, because
they both move on a common center.
In order to apply the voltaic current through the pad to the parts affected in the
best manner, I use a secondary or additional belt which is composed of a series of
voltaic elements such as is commonly known as an electric belt.
This belt may be a single current or a double current belt, the latter style being
known as a duplex belt, in which two sets of batteries, each generating an inde-
pendent current are used. I have shown a duplex current belt. The poles of these
two batteries connect at the middle of the belt with a metallic plate, which is so
constructed that it can hook over the middle of the truss-belt and come in contact
with the naked spine of the wearer when the belt is put on.
For this purpose, the plate is provided with a large hook which hooks into the
electric belt so as to connect with the poles of the batteries, thus admitting the
truss-belt to pass between the plate and electric belt, as shown at Figure 3.
The other poles of the two batteries are connected by flexible wires with the
swivel-hook G. In order to admit of the current being applied at certain intervals,
or to be cut off when desired without removing the truss, I connect one pole of the
battery which forms a part of the electric belt with the metallic plate B, or the
pin C, and through this pin with the swivel-hook G at the back of the pad, by
ineans of wire or other flexible conductors which can be hooked or unhooked as
occasion requires.
By this construction it will be seen that the voltaic current may be caused to
pass through the part to be treated for any desired length of time, after which
the flexible wire connection may be detached from the swivel-hook and the
current stopped without removing the truss, which may remain continuously in
its position.

page_text: The voltaic belt which is independent of and lies over the truss-belt may however
be removed when its services are no longer required. By this construction I ain
enabled to apply the electrical current through the pad for any desired length of
time and then cut it off; the pad meantime remaining in position until the rupture
has been retained a sufficient length of time.
In the construction of my voltaic belt I employ plates of zinc a, and copper b,
which may be struck up by machinery or otherwise formed, so that each plate is
curved and returns upon itself, its outer end being bent backward so as to form a
hook c, into which the link d is secured. The opposite ends of the copper plates
lie between the two sides of the zinc plates, and the corresponding ends of the
zinc plates in the same manner lie between the two sides of the copper plates.
A strip of any suitable porous material e, such for instance as blotting paper, is
folded between the adjacent parts of the metallic plates a and b, and the whole is
then pressed together so that the interposed porous material lies between the
adjacent portions of the plates and keeps them out of contact.
As many of these plates may be looped together as may be necessary to form a
current of the desired intensity, a plate of zinc being united to an adjacent one of
copper, while the zinc plate of that section is again united to the copper plate and
so on to the end.
In the construction of my belt, I prefer to arrange one-half of it so that the
current will pass toward the center, and the other half in the same manner only
reversing the position of the plates so that the current in both portions passes
toward the center.
I is a strip of webbing or any suitable material having plates H fixed to it at
intervals, these plates having hooks as shown at J, so that the metallic portion of
the belt heretofore described may be supported by these hooks.
The belt I is fixed upon a strip of rubber-cloth or other suitable non-porous
material, which is something more than double the width of the belt I.
The upper portion of this strip folds over the outside of the belt I and the
metallic belt which is supported by it, and this covers it entirely and keeps it out
of contact with the person or clothing when it is applied.
This non-porous folding cover may have an exterior surface lined with cloth or
other suitable material.
upon
A plate K which is fixed to the center and connects with a hook J the
central part of the belt, is supported so that the two currents passing from the outer
ends of the metallic voltaic belt will meet at this plate and will pass from it
through any conductor which may be in contact with it. The belt being placed
around the person, or article through which the current is to be passed, the ends of
the web of the belt I may be united by an elastic strip L, which may have a hook
or clasp to make the connection, as shown. Upon the center of this connecting
piece and at a point just opposite the plate K is another similar plate K2, which is
connected with the hooks G upon the exterior surface.
The opposite or outer ends of the metallic belt a b have the insulated flexible
wires M attached to them, and these wires have loops at their opposite ends which
nay either be attached to the hooks G, or when a truss is to be worn in connection
with the belt, these wires are connected with the truss. The plates K K³ through
which the connection is made may be formed in various ways.
In the present case, I have shown the portion which lies upon the inside of the
belt and next to the body, as being a circular convex plate, and the rear portion of
it which is flat, is cut in the same shape so that its upper and lower edges may be
fastened to the upper and lower edges of the outer plate.
The sides of the rear portion are cut off, as shown in Figure 6, so as to allow the
belt to pass through the opening thus formed between the two plates.
This allows the device to be adjusted and moved to any point upon the belt
where it may be desired to use it.

page_text: Upon the flat portion of the plate is fixed a spring clip hook or other device to
which the voltaic belt or connecting wires M thereof, may be attached in the
manner herein before described.
It will be seen that the united elements a b, of which the voltaic portion of the
belt is composed may be removed at any time from their supporting hooks and
rolled or coiled up, after which the roll may be set with one edge in a shallow dish
containing dilute acid which will soon be absorbed by the porous substance, so that
the latter becomes entirely wet with it.
The outer surface being wiped dry, the roll is replaced within the clasps or upon
the hooks and the flap cover may be folded over it so as to entirely cover and
protect it. This form of cover is especially useful as it is easy to apply and
remove the voltaic portion of the belt, and when the belt is not in use the cover
can be thrown back so that it readily dries out, and all parts are open to
inspection.
When the belt is applied to the body, the folding cover and the circular position
about the body, keeps it without any fastening, the manner of folding being
sufficient to retain it. The elastic strip or connection by which the ends of the
main belt are united, is arranged so that it may be taken up at each end for the
purpose of keeping it in its place in the center at the front.
By constructing the voltaic portion of the belt or plates ab folded as I have
shown them, the joints or links between each pair of cleinents are kept out of
contact with the porous material containing the acid which is thus only absorbed
and held between the plates, while the links are kept comparatively clear of the
acid, and after the plates have been removed from the acid, the exterior can be
wiped dry and the links be entirely clean, which prevents their being destroyed by
corrosion.
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,
1. In combination with an electric truss pad, the galvanic battery connected
with its back-plate, and connected by flexible conductors with the poles or plates
in the face of the pad, substantially as herein described.
2. An elastic flexible truss pad having a rigid base, a swivel pin connecting it
with a supporting belt about which pin the pad may be turned and adjusted, as
shown, in combination with a hook or connection loosely swiveled to the pin and
to which the leg-strap may be attached, substantially as herein described.
3. An elastic flexible truss pad with a rigid back and swivel-pin connecting with
the supporting belt so that it may be adjusted upon the pin, and a swivel hook
loosely attached to said pin, in combination with a metallic plate fixed in the
anterior portion of the pad, a flexible elastic conductor between said plate and the
swivel hook, and a voltaic belt or battery having one of its poles applied to
the person, and the other so formed as to be connected or detached from the
swivel hook, so that the voltaic current may be used or cut off, substantially as
herein described.
4. An elastic truss pad supported by a belt, and having a flexible elastic
conductor passing through the body, in combination with an electric belt, having
flexible conductors arranged to connect one of the poles of the battery with the
metallic plate B of the truss pad, substantially as herein described.
5. A plate having an extension by which it is connected with a voltaic belt, and
a curved hook or equivalent connection forming a recess between the plate and the
voltaic belt so as to allow of its being passed freely over a truss belt without
removing or disturbing the same, substantially as herein described.
6. In a voltaic belt or series, the plates a b, bent so that the ends of each are
enclosed between the two sides of the adjacent plate, both plates having their
opposite ends bent in the form of a hook to receive the links by which the sections

page_text: are united, together with a strip of porous material folded so as to lie between the
adjacent portions of the plates to prevent metallic contact, substantially as herein
described.
7. A circular convex plate having a flat plate united to its upper and lower rear
edges, the sides of this plate being cut away so as to form openings through which
the belt may pass, and a hook or clasp fixed to the flat plate, whereby connection
therewith may be made or broken, substantially as herein described.
8: A voltaic belt, composed of two sections so arranged that the currents pass
from the outer ends to the center, and a plate through which they are transmitted,
a secondary belt having a series of hooks or clasps by which the metallic belt may
be supported, a flexible non-porous cover attached to said belt so that it may be
folded over it, and an elastic connecting piece by which the ends of the belt may
be united, having adjusting clasps at each end, and a central plate with clasps to
which the ends of the voltaic belt may be connected, substantially as herein
described.
9. A cover for a voltaic or body-belt, having a flap or extension from the upper
edge, which extends downward over the inner belt, and is retained in place when
the belt is worn without other fastening, substantially as herein described.
10. A flexible belt having a spring in its anterior portion to which the truss pad
is attached, as herein described.