AN IMPROVED LANCET
Year: 1825

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, THOMAS
ROBINSON WILLIAMS, of Norfolk Street, Strand, in the County of Middlesex,
Gentleman (being one of the people called Quakers), send greeting.
WHEREAS His present most Excellent Majesty King George the Fourth,
by His Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing date at
Westminster, the Sixteenth day of July, 1825, in the sixth year of His reign.
did, for Himself, His heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said
Thomas Robinson Williams, His especial licence that I, the said Thomas
Robinson Williams, my exors, adñiors, and assigns, or such others as I, tho
said Thomas Robinson Williams, my exors, adñiors, 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, and
also in all His said Majesty's Colonies and Plantations abroad, my Invention
of "AN IMPROVED LANCET;" in which said Letters Patent there is contained
a proviso obliging me, the said Thomas Robinson Williams, by an instrument
in writing under my hand and seal, particularly to describe and ascertain the
nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed,
and to cause the same to be enrolled in His Majesty's High Court of Chancery
within six calendar months next and immediately after the date of the said
recited Letters Patent, as in and by the same, reference being thereunto bad,
will more fully and at large appear.

page_text: porator
WICH CHe said
proviso, I, the said Thomas Robinson Williams, do hereby describe the manner
in which I perform my said Invention, by the following description thereof,
reference being had to the Drawing annexed, and the Figures marked thereon
(that is to say) :-
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING.
Fig. 1 represents a front view of the instrument. The upper part A slides
up and down in the under part or casing B; and the part marked C is a thin
elastic plate, screwed on to the lower part of the easing B, for the purpose of
keeping the blade of the lancet and interior of the instruments from being wet
by the operation, and also of keeping it steady, as will be better understood
when the remaining Figures shall have been explained. e is the trigger or
small stud to be pressed upon when the spring is to be put in motion.
Fig. 2 is a side view of the instrument, showing the curve which the elastic
plate C should have, and showing also the small adjusting screw at the back
of the instrument, for the purpose of retaining the upper part of the instrument A
at any height when raised up in or depressed into the case B, and by which
action it will be seen that the blade of the lancet may be set to any required
depth for operating.
Fig. 3 is a back view of the instrument, shewing the adjusting screw 7 more
perfectly. It should here be observed, that the same letters will be used to
denote the same parts in each Figure.
Fig. 4 is a section of the upper part of the instrument A without any of the
movements attached to it except S, which is a watch spring fixed at one end to A,
the other end being of course at liberty to move.
Fig. 5 is a section of the same part, shewing all the movements complete.
F is a plate of metal, turning on its centre and attached to the moving end of
the watch spring by means of the rivet expressed by the dotted circle; it will be
seen that there are notches or dents in this plate F, and these notches are acted
upon by the catch G, which is acted upon by the spring J. At the lower end
of the catch G will be seen the trigger or stud e before mentioned, and this
Figure will clearly explain its action. L is the lancet blade, which, it will be
seen, is fixed by a screw pivot at P to the plate F, and moves between two
shoulders at X, X. K is a small nib for the purpose of setting the instru

page_text: ment, as will be hereafter explained. In the Figure now under representa-
tion the movements are all in a state of rest, and if this part A with its
movements was slipt into the case B it would be seen that the point of the
lancet blade would be just within the lower extremity of the case. In order
to set the lancet blade to the proper depth for operating with, the nib K
must be brought to the position shewn in Fig. 6, when the catch G takes into
the first notch on the plate F, and retains the lancet blade in that position
which it would be when at its greatest depth of action during the operation.
If it should not be required for the lancet to pierce so deeply, the upper part
of the instrument A will be drawn up in the case B, which will of course
draw the lancet blade so much more within the case B, and vice versa if it
be required to pierce more deeply, while the adjusting screw at the back of
the instrument retains the part A to whatever height may be required, as
before explained. Having adjusted the lancet blade to the proper depth of
incision required, in order to set the instrument for use the nib K must be
further brought round to the position shewn in Fig. 7, when it will be seen
that the catch G takes into the second notch on the plate F. The instrument
being now set it is evident that if the trigger or stud e be pressed upon by the
operator the catch G will be disengaged from the notch, and the watch spring,
acting upon the plate F, will cause it to fly round to the position shewn in
Fig. 5, during which action the lancet point will have described the distance
marked by the dotted line at the bottom of Figures 6 & 7, and it is evident
that if this be done immediately over a vein the operation of bleeding will be
performed on the patient. The object of the elastic plate C is to adjust
itself to the thickness of the lancet blade, which at the point is of course much
thinner than it is higher up the blade, but by means of the elastic plate an
equal pressure is obtained at all times to keep the blade steady, while the
closing of the spring, and the rapidity with which the operation is performed,
prevents the blood or other moisture from wetting the internal parts of the
instrument.
Now whereas my said Invention may be made of various metals and
dimensions, but such an instrument as is herein-before described being, to
the best of my knowledge and belief, entirely new, and never before used
within that part of His said Majesty's United Kingdom of Great Britain and
Ireland called England, His Dominion of Wales, or Town of Berwick-upon-
Tweed, nor in any of His said Majesty's Colonies or Plantations abroad, I do
hereby declare this to be my Specification of the same, and that I do verily
believe this my said Specification doth comply in all respects, fully and without
reserve or disguise, with the proviso in the said herein-before in part recited

page_text: Letters Patent contained; wherefore I do hereby claim to maintain exclusive
right and privilege to my said Invention.
In witness whereof, I, the said Thomas Robinson Williams, have here-
unto set my hand and seal, this Eighteenth day of July, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and twenty-five.