CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS ON BATHS OF DIFFERENT DESCRIPTIONS, WHICH IMPROVEMENTS ARE APPLICABLE TO OTHER PURPOSES
Year: 1829

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
GOOCH, of Mount Street, Berkley Square, in the County of Middlesex,
Plumber, 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 Sixth day of November, in the tenth year of His reign,
did give and grant unto me, the said William Gooch, His especial licence
that I, the said William Gooch, my exors, admors, and assigns, and such
others as I, the said William Gooch, my exors, admors, 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 mentioned, should and lawfully might make,
use, exercise, and vend, within England, Wales, and Town of Berwick-upon-
Tweed, my Invention of "CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS ON BATHS OF DIFFERENT
DESCRIPTIONS, WHICH IMPROVEMENTS ARE APPLICABLE TO OTHER PURPOSES;" in
which said Letters Patent is contained a proviso that I, the said William
Gooch, shall cause a particular description of the nature of my said Invention,
and in what manner the same is to performed, to be inrolled 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 had, will more fully and at-large appear.

page_text: NOW KNOW YE, that, in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
William Gooch, do hereby describe the manner in which my said Invention is
to be performed by the following description thereof, reference being had to
the Drawings hereunto annexed, and to the figures and letters marked thereon
(that is to say):-
My Invention consists, first, in the application of apparatus to shower baths,
whereby I am enabled to combine a vapour and shower bath in one apparatus.
Secondly, in the application of apparatus to plunge baths, whereby I am
enabled to combine a vapour, shower, and plunge bath in one compact
apparatus, and thus rendering the same extremely convenient. But in order
that my Invention may be more readily understood, I will now proceed to
describe the Drawings hereunto annexed.
Drawing A represents a common shower bath, the parts of which being
well understood no description will be necessary. A is a perforated box to
admit steam or vapour into, and distribute it over the apparatus, and which
box receives its steam or vapour through the steam pipe B leading from a
boiler. C is cock or plug, by turning which the steam or vapour is admitted
into or shut off from the box B, and by which cock the quantity of steam or
vapour is regulated, either by the patient taking the bath or by an attendant.
D is a cloak or dress, made of thick cotton fabric, to be worn by the patient,
which descends from the shoulders, and hangs loosely on the bottom of the
bath. This dress or cloak is kept extended by hooks or strings at a, a. When
it is desired to make use of this part of the apparatus, it will only be necessary
to raise steam in a boiler, and permit it to flow through the steam pipe. The
patient having got within the cloak, and made it sufficiently tight at top to
prevent the escape of steam or vapour, the handle E of the cock C is turned.
The steam or vapour will rise up through and be distributed by the box B,
and the patient may graduate the flow of steam or vapour as it becomes more
or less grateful to the feelings. It will be evident from the above description
that by.combining these two baths into one apparatus a patient may more
conveniently take a vapour bath, and then a shower bath, without having to
pass from one place to another, for when the vapour bath has been taken all
that is necessary will be to drop the cloak or dress to the bottom of the
apparatus, and then immediately cause the water contained in the shower bath
to, descend. I would further observe, that the baths may be taken sitting or
standing. (If it be taken sitting, a small stool, the seat of which I prefer to
have covered with woven fabric sufficiently strong to support the patient and
yet admit of the heat passing through; and I would observe that the feet of

page_text: the patient should at all times be kept off the floor of the apparatus, to admit
of the steam or vapour being under them.
Drawing B represents a plunge bath, with apparatus applied thereto for the
purpose of converting it to a shower or vapour bath, A being the plunge bath;
B, C, two perforated plates at the bottom, which are for the purpose of
distributing steam or vapour, from the steam pipe D, which steam pipe leads
to and is connected with a boiler. E is a common cock on the steam pipe,
and F is the handle for turning on and off the steam. G is a covering or
cloak open at the part H for the head. By this arrangement, the patient
having got within the cloak or covering, the vapour is permitted to flow by
turning the cock E, when it will immediately rise through the perforated
plates B, C, and the interior of the cloak (which being made close all around)
is filled with steam or vapour, which, as before explained, may be regulated to
suit the pleasure of the patient. The cloak or covering G is supported by the
rods I, projecting from the standard J, which standard is a tube supported by
the iron stays m, m, which are screwed to the floor; and it will be seen that
the end of the rod I is attached to the standard J by metal straps 5, s, which
allow of the cloak or covering being raised or lowered, and the same is
supported by a weight on the inside of the tube or standard J by means of a
cord v being made fast at one end to the weight and the other end to the
rod I. By this contrivance a patient may either take the vapour bath in a
sitting or reclining position. When taken sitting, it will, as before described, be
necessary to place a stool within the cloak; but when it is taken in a reclining
position it will be necessary to have a stool or bench extending nearly the
whole length of the plunge bath, which, as before explained, I prefer being
covered with a woven fabric. I will now describe the parts for using the
shower bath. K is a lever turning on a fulcrum at L. This lever is for the
purpose of raising the bath to its position. M is a common shower bath,
which is suspended on the end of the bent part of the lever at N.. In taking
a shower bath, the cloak or covering G may be removed, or it may be raised
to the bottom of the shower bath, the opening H being enlarged so as not to
prevent any part of the water descending through it. The cord O is for the
purpose of discharging the water in the usual manner.
the boiler I have used and found to answer is a circular one, containing about
two gallons of water, having a flat bottom and dome top, with a safety valve
to prevent accident, and steam may be generated either by placing such boiler
on a fire or over a lamp. If it be desired to medicate or perfume the vapour,
the medicinal matter or perfume may be placed between two perforated plates,
and the steam or vapour made to pass through the same. Now it will be
I would observe that

page_text: evident from the above description that either of the baths may be taken
separately, or one after the other, as above described.
Now I would have it understood that although I havo here described many
parts which are already known and in use, I do not intend hereby to claim them,
excepting as used to effect the purpose of my Invention. But what I claim is,
First, the application of apparatus whereby I am enabled to combine a
'vapour and shower bath in one apparatus:
Secondly, in the application of apparatus to a plunge bath," whereby. I am
enabled to combine a vapour, a shower, and a plunge bath in one apparatus,
and thus much room is saved, and whereby the whole is made much. more
compact than when each is formed into a separate apparatus.
And I do further declare, that by making pockets in the cloaks or coverings
either of the vapour baths may be applied to the purposes of the shampooing
baths:
is i
In witness whereof, I, the said William Gooch, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Sixth day of May; in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and thirty.
WILLIAM (L.) GOOCH.
AND BE IT REMEMBERED, that on the Sixth day of May, in the
year of our Lord 1830, the aforesaid William Gooch came before our said a
Lord the King in His Chancery, and acknowledged the Specification aforesaid,
and all and every thing therein contained and specified, in form above
written. And also the Specification' aforesaid was stamped according to the
tenor of the Statute made for that purpose.
Inrolled the Sixth day of May, in the year of our Lord One thousand a
eight hundred and thirty.