Improvements in Uterine Syringes.
Year: 1889

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Uterine Syringes.
We, JAY WILLIAM KIRKWOOD, of Oakesdale, in the County of Whitman, and
Washington Territory (Doctor of Medicine) and OTTO MORITZ EDWIN BARTSCH, of
No. 313, Jessie Street, San Francisco, in the County of San Francisco and State of
California (Merchant) both in the United States of America, 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:—
This Invention relates to syringes for the treatment of female diseases. The object
of the invention is to provide an instrument which can readily be used by the patients
themselves, and by which the following advantages may be attained. 1st. The use of
forceps, speculum, and absorbent cotton, now commonly employed in the treatment of
female diseases, for the purpose of removing foetid matter, may be dispensed with
thus doing away with the irritation, pain, and other objections attending the use
thereof. 2nd. It will ensure absolute cleanliness. 3rd. It will save the physician
much annoyance. 4th. It will save expense to the patient, who is enabled to use
the instrument without the assistance of a physician and will therefore be less
harassing to a patient's feelings. 5th. It leaves the tissues of the parts being treated
in the most favorable condition for the application of such remedies as the
disease may require. 6th. It serves as a means to apply the necessary medicaments.
Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings forming part of this specifi-
cation, in which figure 1 represents a longitudinal sectional view of the improved
syringe, while figures 2 and 3 are longitudinal sections, upon a larger scale, of the
rear and forward portions of the syringe omitting the piston and its operating rod.
Figure 4 is a transverse section upon line ac, figure 2, and figure 5 is a front
end view. Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the
figures.
Various materials may be used in the manufacture of the syringe, but generally it
will be principally made of hard India Rubber or German Silver.
The construction of the syringe is substantially as follows; A indicates an outer
case or cylinder which has screwed on to its forward end, as at b, an inclined faced
nozzle B provided with a cup-shaped cavity c in front and having an outer rounded
and bevelled front edge d, central suction aperture e in its back, and a series of
contracted ducts within its outer walls arranged to diverge from an inner shouldered
end part g through which said ducts open, to and through the outer bevelled surface
of the rounded or bevelled front edge or rim d of the nozzle. C is an inner tube or
cylinder arranged concentrically within the outer cylinder A so as to leave a narrow
space between them and extending from within the front shouldered end part g of
the nozzle to the back end of the cylinder A where it is provided with a thickened
shouldered portion i having inner and outer screw threads adapted to receive on or
over it, the rear end of the cylinder A and within it a screw cap or head D. The
inclined ducts at the forward end of the syringe connect with the channel or space /
between the tubes A and C and the interior of the tube C is in connection in its
rear with the channel or spice by a series of perforations k. E is the piston of the
syringe, having a leather or other suitable packing and an attached operating rod F
which passes out through a hole in the cap D and is provided at its back or outer
end with a ring or any other suitable handle. The inner face of the cap D has an
enlarged central recess m preferably of dovetail shape, within which is sprung or fitted
a soft rubber washer or packing enclosing the rod F to prevent the escape of

page_text: fluid past said rod from the interior of the cylinder C. The cap D is also provided
with a funnel-shaped opening r. for charging the cylinder with medicated fluid
when required, said opening being closed by a stoppers.
When using the syringe, it is charged by inserting its forward end in a basin of
water and forcing the piston, which had been previously drawn back, inwards or
towards the front end of the instrument. This will create a vacuum in the tube C
back of the piston, and cause the water to be drawn through the ducts along the
channel and through the perforations into the tube C. Such charging action, it
will be observed, is directly opposite to that of ordinary syringes, and so is the
expelling action of the syringe, as will be hereinafter described; that is, the motion
of the piston is a reverse one in both instances as compared with ordinary syringes.
Or, especially when applying medicated fluids, the syringe may be charged through.
the opening in the cap, upon removing the stopper s, the piston then being adjusted
forwards. The charged syringe is inserted into the patient so that the neck of the
uterus will lay in, or near, the perforated cup portion c of the nozzle B and on
drawing back the piston, it will cause the neck of the uterus to be drawn into said
cup portion c and the foreign matter will seek, through the aperture e, the vacuum
in the tube C in front of the piston, thus created by the motion of the latter, while
the water or medicated fluid in rear of the piston will be forced out through the
perforations along the channel and out through the inclined ducts f
From this description, it will be seen that there is a conjoint diluting action of
water or other cleansing or medicated fluid and a sucking action to remove all foreign
matter adhering to the neck and mouth of the womb. Such syringe too, dispenses
with a separate vessel as usually necessary with ordinary syringes, for carrying off
the foreign matter, the inner chamber of the syringe serving such purpose. The
ducts, it should be observed, pass outward through the outer bevelled surface of
the rim d of the nozzle and so direct the jets of the expelled water or fluid away
from the cup shaped cavity in the nozzle.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what we
claim is;
1. A medical syringe having inner and outer chambers connected with each other.
at or near their rear ends and both having openings through the forward end of the
syringe, in combination with a piston fitted to work within the inner chamber
whereby said syringe operates simultaneously to discharge a diluting or medicated
fluid and to remove by suction foreign matter adhering to the mouth or neck of the
womb, also the inner chamber of the syringe serves as a vessel to carry off the
foreign matter, substantially as specified.
2. In a medical syringe having inner and outer tubes combined to leave a channel
or space lengthwise between them, the inner one of said tubes constructed with a series
of perforations at or near its rear end, arranged to establish communication between
the two tubes in combination with a piston fitted to work within the inner one of said
tubes, essentially as described.
3. In a medical syringe, the cup shaped nozzle adapted to fit the mouth of the
womb and provided with a series of discharge apertures outside of the suction cavity
in the nozzle and with a suction aperture in the back of the nozzle whereby a sucking
action is combined with a discharging action of water or other fluid in jets, substan-
tially as specified.
4. In a medical syringe, the combination with the outer tube A of the inner tube C
arranged to leave a channel or space between the two tubes and provided with a series
of perforations & near its rear end establishing communication between the interior of
the inner tube and said channel, the cup shaped nozzle B having a suction aperture e
in its back and provided with exterior ducts opening through the front end of the

page_text: nozzle on its outer side and connecting at their inner ends with the channel between
the two tubes, a cap closing the rear end of the syringe, and a piston fitted to work
within the inner tube and provided with an operating rod passing out through
the cap, essentially as shewn and described and for the purposes herein specified.
Dated this 30th day of July 1889.
J. W. KIRKWOOD.
O. M. E. BARTSCH.
By A. M. & Wm. Clark,
53, Chancery Lane, London, Patent Agents.