IMPROVEMENTS IN FASTENINGS FOR SURGICAL AND OTHER BANDAGES, AND FOR ARTICLES OF DRESS
Year: 1846

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, THOMAS
MOORCROFT BENBOW, of Birmingham, Surgeon, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her present most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Royal Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing date at
Westminster, the Thirteenth day of January, in the ninth year of Her reign,
did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said
Thomas Moorcroft Benbow, my exors, admors, and assigns, Her especial
licence, full power, sole privilege and authority, that I, the said Thomas
Moorcroft Benbow, my exors, adññors, and assigns, or such others as I, the
said Thomas Moorcroft Benbow, my exors, adñññors, or assigns, should at any
time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times during
the term of years therein expressed, should and lawfully might make, use,
exercise, and vend, within England, Wales, and the Town of Berwick-upon-
Tweed, the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN FASTENINGS FOR SURGICAL AND
OTHER BANDAGES, AND FOR ARTICLES OF DRESS;" partly invented by myself, and
partly communicated from abroad, in which said Letters Patent is contained
a proviso that I, the said Thomas Moorcroft Benbow, shall cause a particular
description of the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the
same is to be performed, to be inrolled in Her said Majesty's High Court of
Chancery within six calendar months next and immediately after the date
of the said in part recited Letters Patent, as in and by the same, reference
being thereunto had, will more fully and at large appear.

page_text: NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
Thomas Moorcroft Benbow, do hereby declare that the said Invention is
fully described and ascertained in and by the following description thereof,
reference being had to the Drawing hereunto annexed, and to the figures
and letters marked thereon, that is to say :-.
The Invention relates, first, to arranging the parts of surgical and other
bandages, which in closing come together, so that such bandages may be more
readily applied or removed than by arrangements at present in use for that
purpose. Figures 1 and 2 represent part of a bandage arranged with fasten-
ings according to the Invention. a, a, are pulleys or rollers which are carried
by the piece b. These pieces 6 are secured to the piece of whalebone, or it may
be metal or other suitable material c, which it will be seen by the Drawing is
enclosed within the web or other material of which the bandage is formed.
Figure 8 represents one of the pieces c, and parts connected therewith
separately. d is the cord by which the parts are brought together; and it will
be seen that the cord is connected at its ends so as to form what is called an
endless cord, and that beginning at the upper part it passes over the two upper
pulleys a, a, and then from one side to the other it passes over alternate pulleys
to about the middle of the bandage, where on each side there are eye-let holes
through which it passes, and thence back again over the other pulleys a, a, the
parts d', d, of the endless cord d serving to draw the bandage together, and to
secure it to any required degree of tightness by tyeing the ends d¹ together;
and if it should be required in applying a bandage to have the upper part
Jooser, and consequently more open than the lower, or the reverse, such may
readily be regulated as required in drawing the parts d', d², of the cord d, by
állowing more of the cord to that part of the bandage required to be let loose.
I would remark that I am aware that it has been before proposed to apply
pulleys or rollers to stays, but such rollers.have been so applied as to project,
and either prevent the closing of the stays or other bandage, or so that the
form of them might be seen, and consequently caused an increased wear to the
garments covering those parts; but it will be seen by reference to Figure 3
that by the arrangement of the parts c the pulleys a do not project, or project
but slightly, 'beyond the edge of the piece of whalebone or other material c, so
that the edges of the bandage may come close together, which I have found a
great advantage in applying the bandages to surgical purposes, and which will
also be found advantageous when the bandages are applied to other purposes,
particularly stays for ladies.
The second part of the Invention relates to the formation of hooks to fasten
various articles of dress. Figure 4 represents an edge view, and Figures 5 and

page_text: 6 a back view and a front view of a hook, the peculiarity of which consists in
its having the projecting parts e, e, by which the hook may be more securely
and closely sewn to the garment. These projecting fastening parts e, e, it will
be seen, are placed close to the part of the hook which is turned up to pass
into the eye, and they are in addition to the parts f, f, which may be of the
ordinary kind; and by this arrangement it will be evident the hook will be
prevented hanging loosely by turning upon the parts f, f, as is now the case by
the ordinary arrangement of hook. Figure 4* represents an edge view, and
Figures 5 and 6* a back view and a front view of a hook, the peculiarity of
which consists in its being so formed as to be readily detached from the eye
into which it may be hooked. This hook is formed with an eye g at the back,
to which is attached a tassel, or it may be a ring or other ornament, by pulling
which the hook will readily be released from its eye. This arrangement of
hook I have found particularly applicable in fastening the parts of gloves
together at the wrist. I would remark, that although I prefer, in forming
these hooks, to have the eye g formed as shown in the Figures 4, 5, and 6, I do
not confine myself thereto, and I have shown at Figures 7, 8, and 9 an edge
view, a front view, and a back view of another hook in which the part g
is formed by the bending of the stem.
The third part of the Invention relates to the formation of eyes used with
hooks in fastening various parts of dress. By the form of eye generally in use
it has been found that when any sudden strain has been exerted they have
collapsed, rendering it difficult to remove the hooks therefrom. Now the
object of the present improvement is so to form the eye that that tendency
may be avoided. Figure 10 shows an eye according to the present improve-
ment, the parts h, h, (by which the eye is connected to the garment,) are
brought close together, and the part i, over which the hook passes, is
shortened, so as to prevent the collapsing of that part, whatever strain may
be exerted thereon. In attaching these eyes to a garment I prefer that they
should be partly enclosed therein, as shewn at Figure 11, leaving only the
part i projecting, by which, together with the circumstance of the part i being
so close to the parts h, h, the hook will be much less liable to become detached
therefrom.
The fourth and last part of the Invention relates to covering wire and other
springs used in making caps and other articles of head dress to retain them on
the head, the object being to prevent them becoming corroded by moisture
from the head or otherwise. Figure 12 shows one of such springs, the form
of which, however, may be varied, and the covering may be of cotton, silk,

page_text: caoutchouc, or other suitable material, applied as a thread or otherwise, and by
cement, if necessary.
"Having thus described the nature of the Invention, I would have it under-
stood that I do not confine myself to the various details shown and described
so long as the peculiar character of either part be retained.
In witness whereof, I, the said Thomas Moorcroft Benbow, have
hereunto set my hand and seal, this Eleventh day of July, One
thousand eight hundred and forty-six.
THOMAS MOORCROFT (L.S.) BENBOW.
AND BE IT REMEMBERED, that on the Eleventh day of July, in
the year of our Lord 1846, the aforesaid Thomas Moorcroft Benbow came
before our said Lady the Queen in Her Chancery, and acknowledged the
Spécification aforesaid, and all and every thing therein contained and specified,
in form above written. And also the Specification aforesaid was stamped
áccording to the tenor of the Statute made for that purpose.
Enrolled the Thirteenth day of July, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and forty-six.