Year: 1887

page_text: Date of Application, 25th Apr., 1887
Complete Left, 29th Dec., 1887
Complete Accepted, 23rd Mar., 1888
I, JOSEPH LEITER, of Mariannengasse No. 11 Vienna Austria, Surgical Instrument
maker, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
This invention relates to an optical instrument for the examination of the interior of
the human body in which an electric light, situated at the bottom of an open casing,
near its front end, has its rays reflected by an inclined concave mirror situated at the
back end of the casing into a funnel or trumpet mouthed tube which is fixed in the
front part of the casing at some distance above the electric light, and which is inserted
into the orifice of the duct to be examined.
For this purpose the eye pierce or sight hole, is so arranged that its central axis is
just above the upper edge of the mirror, and coincides with the axis of the funnel
mouthed tube; and the central axis of the mirror, and the centre of the electric lamp
also lie in the vertical plane, passing through such axial lines the mirror being inclined
downwards to such an extent, that the rays of the electric lamp, which is situated at
the focal distance of the mirror, are reflected upward thereby into the funnel mouthed
tube.
The small electric glow lamp employed is situated in a downward tubular extension
or recess in the casing of the instrument (which is open at top,) to the lower end of
which tubular extension, the handle of the instrument is fixed; in this handle are
fixed the conducting wires, for conveying the electric current to the glow lamp, the
one wire being connected directly with the one pole of the lamp, while the other wire
stops short, a certain distance therefrom, and is provided with an external opening
contact by pressing upon which, either by hand or by a screw nut, the connection
between the wire and the second pole of the lamp is closed. The tubular extension

page_text: has slits in it for the admission of currents of air, round the lamp, so as to cool it, and
surrounding the tubo is a tubular shield opened at bottom, which serves both to
accelerate the draught and to prevent the entrance of rays of light from the outside of
the instrument through the said slits.
The eye-piece consists of a semicircular fork into which is fitted a lense, that can bo
changed at will to suit the operator, the fork being pivotted to the casing so that its
position can be adjusted. At the front end of the casing is fixed a ring secured by
scrows passing through slotted holes, so as to be capable of vertical adjustment, which
ring has an internal scrow thread into which is screwed either a plain trumpet
mouthed tube for insertion into tho duct or a tube closed at its front end by an
inclined glass diaphragm and having a small branch tube for the introduction of air
pulsations, such as is used for observing the action of the tympanum of the ear.
Or
in place of a tube, there may be connected to the ring an adjustable rod having at its
end a small inclined plane mirror, to be used for the examination of the mouth and
throat, the rays from the electric lamp being reflected by the concavo mirror on to
the inclined mirror, which can be moved so as to illuminate any desired part of the
mouth or throat. The said ring and tube or other appliance may also be entirely
removed when it is desired simply to illuminate any part of the body by the rays of
the lamp, in which case it may also be arranged to be fixed to the forehead of the
operator, the front part of the casing and the eye piece being removed for this
purpose.
Dated thin with da : 1007

page_text: Optical Instrument for the Examination of the Interior of the
Human Body.
1, JOSEF LEITER, of Mariannengasse No. 11 Vienna, Austria, Surgical Instrument
Maker, 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 an optical instrument for the examination of the interior of
the human body, in which an electric incandescent lamp situated at the bottom of an
open casing near its front end, has its rays reflected by an inclined concave mirror,
situated at the back end of the casing, into a funnel or trumpet mouthed tube, which
is fixed in the front part of the casing at some distance above the electric light and
which is inserted into the orifice of the duct to be examined. Currents of air aro
admitted round the lamp so as to cool it.
The said instrument may be arranged in several slightly modified forms. In most
cases, the casing is provided at its lower side with a handle and then, if the front end
of the casing be dispensed with, the instrument can be used as a lamp, as it may be
held in the hand for lighting any desired object. Instruments in this modified form
and having a suitable fixing device connected to the rear end of the casing by
universal joint may be attached to bands surrounding the head of the examiner or the
patient, or such instruments may be supported by suitable stands.
a
In the annexed drawings Fig. 1 represents a vertical section of such an instrument
arranged for examination of the ducts and hollows of the human body, a handle being
fixed to the underside of the casing and a tube for the examination of the ear being
connected to its front end. Figs. 2 and 3 are front and rear end views respectively,
Fig. 4 shows a tube such as may be fixed to the instrument for examination of the
urethra or the nose; Fig. 5 represents an apparatus to be fixed on the instrument for
observation of the pneumatic movements of the tympanum of the ear; Fig. 6
represents an inclined mirror, which may be fixed to the instrument, Fig. 7 illustrates
the fixing of the instrument on the head of the observer by a band; Fig. 8 shows to
an enlarged scale the head band with the instrument attached.
As shewn in the Figures 1. 2 and 3 a cylindrical casing a open at the top has near
its front end a short tube b projecting downwards and containing the electric incan-
descent lamp c, this tube receiving the handle d.
To the rear end of the casing a is fixed a concave mirror inclined forwards
in such a position that its optical axis lies between the lamp c and the tubular

page_text: party-wien-can be inserted into the orince of the ear or owner noшow or auct
to be examined.
The lamp_c_being nearly in the focus of the mirror f, a pencil of rays is
reflected into the funnel mouthed tube 7 so as to illuminate-brightly- the tube-and-
the sides of the duct under examination.
The tubo g is screwed-into-a-ring--which is fixed-to-the-casing a, by screws
passing through slots-so-that-the-tube can be adjusted vertically.
Instead of the funnel mouthed tube g for the examination of the car a tube for
the examination of the urethra or of the nose, as shown by Fig. 4, or a mirror.
for the examination of the throat, as shown in Fig. 6 may be screwed into the
ring h.
In the mirror for the examination of the throat, the rod z, figure 6, supporting
the inclined plane mirror 1 is fixed to a ring free to turn within the sleeve
which is screwed into the ring h. Thus the mirror z¹ may be turned so as to
reflect any part of the throat.
The tubo b containing the lamp c has lateral slots for admitting currents of air
to-cool-the-lamp-and-around this part there is a tubular shield open at tho
_bottom, which aids the circulation of air, but chiefly serves to prevent-the-
entrance of rays of light from outside-through-the-air-slots.
The handled contains two metal strips connected to the terminals of
the lamp.
One of these metal strips d is directly connected with the conducting wire j,
while the other metal strip terminates in a contact piece €3 upon
which may be
pressed a spring d connected to the second conducting wire j¹.
When the circuit is to remain closed for some time-the-spring-d may be held
against by screwing down the nut ď.
On the rear end of the case a is pivotted a semicircular fork to receive a lens
which may be changed as required; also the fork can be turned aside out of the
line of sight.
The tube for the examination of the ear may have an internal screw thread to
receive the glazed cap a Fig. 5 which has a nipple a¹ for attachment of a flexible tube
by which air can be forced or withdrawn for the purpose of causing pneumatic
movements of the tympanum.
The glass is inclined in order to prevent the reflection of rays from distracting
the eye.
The casing a being open at the top, the operator has access to the tube fixed in /
for painting over or removing affected parts.
In the modified form of the instrument shewn in Figs. 7 and 8 the front and sides.
of the casing are dispensed with in order to reduce weight.
To the rear end, which carries the concave mirror is connected by a ball and
socket joint m a slotted clamp m² which can be attached by a set screw, either to the
metal front plate o¹ of a head band o as shown or to a suitable stand. The incan-
descent lamp e has a shield i extended down in front to protect the eyes of a patient
from the light, the eyes of the observer being protected by a shade o² which is fixed
to the forebead plate o¹. The conducting wires p p run through eyes to the
terminals ppl of the lamp c.
By means of the screw p² the circuit of the lamp can be closed or opened at will,
and by means of a handle y the observer can adjust the position of the instrument so
as to throw the rays where required.
The clamp m is provided with a screw threaded hole m² into which a handle can be
screwed when the instrument is to be used as a hand lamp.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this invention
and in what manner the same is to be performed, I. declare that what I
claim is:
-
1. In an optical instrument for examination of ducts and hollows of the human

page_text: body, the combination of a casing open on one side, with an inclined concave mirror
fixed to the rear end of the casing and with an electric incandescent lamp fixed near
the focus of the mirror on the side opposite to the opening of the casing, substantially
as and for the purpose set forth.
2. In an instrument of the kind referred to in the first claim, the combination of
the slotted tube b, containing the incandescent lamp c, and the surrounding shield i,
substantially as described.
3. In an instrument of the kind referred to in the first claim, a ring / vertically
adjustable on the focus of the casing a, and adapted to receive various tubes suitable
for being introduced into the ducts of the body, substantially as described.
Dated this 29th day of December 1887.