IMPROVE- MENTS IN ENEMA SYRINGES
Year: 1878

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Morris Mattson, of the City and State of New York,
United States of America, Doctor of Medicine, for the Invention of " IMPROVE-
MENTS IN ENEMA SYRINGES."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Morris Mattson at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents on the 23rd February 1878.
MORRIS MATTSON, of the City and State of New York, United States of
America, Doctor of Medicine. "IMPROVEMENTS IN ENEMA SYRINGES."
The said Invention consists in the novel construction and arrangement of the
parts of a syringe whereby the cost of manufacture is lessened and the instrument
rendered more efficient. The said syringe has an elastic bulb with a rigid coupling
containing a valve connected to one end of and in a line with the longest axis of the
said bulb. By thus attaching the coupling directly to the bulb the construction of
the syringe is simplified and cheapened. The outer end of the coupling is a smooth
slightly tapering plug made to fit a smooth socket in the end of an inlet tube; this
inlet tube is made of hard rubber or other suitable material capable of being
moulded. The bulb and inlet tube are more readily connected or disconnected by
means of this joint than by the use of screw couplings.
A flexible tube is attached to the opposite end of the bulb by means of a rigid
screw cap having a coupling, and to the outer end of the tube is attached a valve
chamber containing an ordinary valve. By placing one valve at the inlet end of
the bulb and the other at the extremity of the aforesaid tube the entire force of the
pressure can be exerted upon the bulb, and no fecal fluid can be forced back into the
tube and bulb of the syringe.
The valve chainber which contains a valve is formed of hard rubber metal or other
suitable material, and has a perforated cylindrical tapering plug connected with it
by a screw thread. The threaded end of the plug closes the valve chamber, and

page_text: holds the valve in position. The plug serves as a means of attachment to the
injecting tube or other injecting tubes, which may be made of hard rubber, metal,
or other suitable material.
This pro-
The said tube protector is placed upon the tube near the screw cap.
tector is made of metal, having a tubular base, and slips upon the tube; the outer
end of this protector is curved, as shown. By the use of this protector the tube is
prevented from "kinking" when in use, and from being bent too sharply in
packing the syringe.
The rigid inlet tube serves as a hand rest to the user, and to maintain the syringe
in an erect position in the fluid, so that it can be readily handled, which is important
in the use of injections in any of their forms.
The employment of smooth joints is a valuable feature of this Invention; they
are more convenient than screw couplings, and are less expensive to manufacture.
These joints require no washers to make them tight, and are of two kinds; the first
consists of metallic inlet or injecting tubes with plugs formed of hard rubber or
other material capable of being vulcanized or otherwise hardened in the process of
moulding; the second consists of hard rubber tubes, either with metallic or hard
rubber plugs, the object being to prevent the contact of two metallic surfaces on
the joint. The cavities of the tubes are of an exact size as a result of the moulding
process, and require no cutting or other finishing.
The hard rubber plugs may be finished upon the lathe, or they may be
vulcanized in mould so accurately as to fit the cavities without any finishing.
The metallic plugs are also moulded to the exact form required to accurately fit the
cavities.
The said inlet tube may be connected by a screw coupling in place of the smooth
joint.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said Morris Mattson in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 20th August
1878.
MORRIS MATTSON, of the City and State of New York, United States of
America, Doctor of Medicine. "IMPROVEMENTS IN ENEMA SYRINGES."
My Invention consists in the novel construction and arrangement of the parts of
a syringe whereby the cost of manufacture is lessened, and the instrument rendered
more efficient.
The said Invention is illustrated in the accompanying Drawing, in which,--
Figure 1 is an exterior view of an instrument constructed according to my
Invention, with its parts connected and ready for use.
Figure 2 is a view partly in section, shewing the parts of the said instrument
separate or detached from each other.
Like letters indicate the same parts throughout the Drawing.
The said syringe is provided with an elastic bulb a, which has a rigid coupling b
containing the valve c, and connected to one end of and in a line with the longest
axis of the bulb. By thus attaching the coupling directly to the bulb a the con-
struction of the syringe is simplified and cheapened. The outer end of the coupling
b is a smooth slightly tapering plug made to fit a smooth socket in the end of an
inlet tube d. This inlet tube is made of hard india-rubber or other suitable
material capable of being moulded. The bulb a and inlet tube d are more readily
connected or disconnected by means of this joint than by the use of screw
couplings.
A flexible tube e is attached to the opposite end of the bulb a by means of a rigid
screw cap f, having a coupling g, and to the outer end of the tube e is attached a
valve chamber h containing an ordinary valve i. By placing one valve at the inlet
end of the bulb a, and the other at the extremity of the aforesaid tube e the entire
force of the pressure can be exerted upon the bulb, and no fecal fluid can be forced
back into the tube and bulb of the syringe.
The valve chamber h, which contains the valve i, is formed of hard india-rubber,
metal, or other suitable material, and has a perforated cylindrical taper plug j con-
nected with it by a screw thread. The threaded end of the plug j closes the valve
chamber h, and holds the valve i in position. The plug j serves for the attachment
of the pipe e to the injecting tube k or other injecting tubes, which may be made
of hard rubber, metal, or other suitable material.
The tube protector 7 is placed upon the tube e, near the screw cap f. This pro-
tector is made of metal; it has a tubular base, and slips upon the tube e. The outer
end of this protector is curved as shown. By the use of this protector the tube is
prevented from "kinking" when in use, and from being bent too sharply in
packing the syringe.
The aforesaid rigid inlet tube d serves as a hand rest to a person using the
instrument and to maintain the syringe in an erect position in the fluid, so that it
can be readily handled, which facility of handling is important in the use of
injections in any of their forms.
The employment of smooth joints is a valuable feature of this Invention; they are
more convenient and less expensive to manufacture than screw couplings. These
joints require no washers to make them tight, and are of two kinds; the first con-
sists of metallic inlet or injecting tubes with plugs formed of hard india-rubber or
other material capable of being vulcanized or otherwise hardened in the process of
moulding; the second consists of hard india-rubber tubes, either with metallic or
bard rubber plugs, the object being to prevent the contact of two metallic surfaces
in the joint.
The cavities of the tubes are of an exact size as a result of the moulding process,
and require no cutting or other finishing.

page_text: The hard rubber plugs may be finished upon a lathe, or they may be vulcanized
in moulds so accurately as to fit the cavities without any finishing; but pre-
ferably the plug after it is vulcanized is heated moderately in any convenient
manner, and driven into a polished steel die, whereby it will be rendered perfectly
smooth and of a definite size. The metallic plugs are also moulded to the exact
form required to accurately fit the cavities.
The said inlet tube d may be connected by a screw coupling in place of the
smooth joint.
Having thus fully described my said Invention, and the manner of performing
the same, I wish it understood that I claim,―
First. Inlet and outlet tubes for enema syringes made of hard india-rubber, metal,
or other inflexible material, with cavities formed in their inner ends by the process
of moulding, as above set forth.
Second. The tube protector constructed and arranged in combination with the
syringe, as above set forth.
Third. An enema syringe with a rigid inlet tube in connection with a flexible
tube, as above set forth.
Fourth. The coupling joints of an enema syringe consisting of a taper plug and
corresponding cavities formed of material capable of being moulded, and wherein
india-rubber is connected with india-rubber or other analogous material or with
metal, as above set forth.
In witness whereof, I, the said Morris Mattson, have hereunto set my hand
and seal, this Thirteenth day of August, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and seventy-eight.