Improvements in Splints or Apparatus for Applying Local Support or Rigidity to Limbs or Parts of the Body.
Year: 1890

page_text: Date of Application, 16th Dec., 1890-Accepted, 31st Jan., 1891
Improvements in Splints or Apparatus for Applying Local Support
or Rigidity to Limbs or Parts of the Body.
I FRIEDERICH HESSING of Göggingen near Augsburg in the Empire of
Germany, 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 splints for the treatment of broken or injured limbs or
other ailments in which the body or limbs require to be locally supported by a
framing or the like and it is more especially intended for the so called ambulance
treatment of wounded persons since its use facilitates their transport and the
improved apparatus being made in a few types and sizes is suitable for immediate
use when required. It is thus especially suitable for use in war or for large
hospitals and the like institutions.
It is known that the curing of severe bone diseases or locally injured parts is
facilitated by the patient taking suitable open air exercise.
For enabling the
patient to do this it was heretofore generally necessary to provide such patient with
a special apparatus, frame or splints made according to a model taken from the body
because it is essential to the success of the so called "ambulance treatment that
the part of the body affected should be securely held and supported by a firm
bandage in certain respects a shell encircling exactly and completely the anatomical
frame of the body at such part and also of the adjacent parts of the body.
In consequence of this the method of "ambulance treatment has not been used
heretofore on a large scale notwithstanding the success of the applicant independent
of the hospital therefor at Goeggingen.
The general use of this invention is admitted at least for patients of general or
normal proportions of the body and is therefore especially useful for surgery in war
and the treatment of fracture of bones and other severe and acute ailments of the
bones but is not intended for use with pronounced deformities.
The apparatus consist of steel bands which run, some of them along the limbs or
parts for which they are intended fitting exactly to the anatomical frame thereof and
some of them across the limbs holding them firmly.
The latter bands encircle about two thirds of the respective limb or part whilst
the last third is enclosed by a number of straps and buckles. In this manner a
special shell is formed in the first instance for each limb or part for instance, back,
shoulder, upper arm, lower arm, hand, hip, thigh, calf or lower member of the leg
and foot which shell encloses the respective part firmly in an exact anatomical
manner whilst the straps with the buckles equalize the small differences of the size
of the limbs within the type or number of size whilst the flexibility of the steel
rails enables small abnormal individualities of shape to be disregarded.
The shells thus made for the separate limbs are connected together or made into
compound bandages or splints by the connections hereinafter described with
reference to the figures of the accompanying drawings which bandages or splints
constitute the object of this invention.
These connections allow at the same time for the equalizing of the differences of
size within the types or stock sizes in the longitudinal direction (so that a perfect
fit of the shell-bandage to the respective limbs or parts is provided for) whilst the
same also allows for the guiding of the ailing limb or part in each position desired
by the surgeon and hold the limb with the necessary steadiness and allow free
movement to the other limbs not thus artificially stiffened by the surgeon.
Fig. 1 represents the improved splint bandage or set of connected shells placed

page_text: upon the right leg. Fig. 2 shows that for the right shoulder and right arm Fig. 2b
that for the right hand and Fig. 3 illustrates that for the back and chest.
The leg bandage consists as mentioned above of four band shells or basket like
frames for the pelvis a the thigh 6 the calf and the foot d respectively each of
which is formed in the manner above described.
They are connected together by bands or bars which are provided either with
joints corresponding to the natural joints where a movement is desired or with stiff'
fixing bars where rigidity is required.
The connecting bars are arranged also in such a fashion that the shells after being
put on may be separated further one from the other so that the shells may be fitted
to the parts of the body and may be arranged to stretch or extend the same.
Fig. 1 shows as an example an arrangement in which the hip joint is movable the
knee joint is arranged for moving but, after the completion of the necessary
stretching is rendered immovable in a straight position by means of the fastening
bar and the foot joint is likewise rendered immovable by the fastening bars g an
arrangement which the surgeon will choose with fracture of the tibia or the lower
third of the thigh bone.
The shells of the thigh and of the calf are connected by the bars which may
be removed (in the drawing only the outer one is shown). By having a number of
holes in these bars and using screws e e e e the shells may be adjusted together
in any optional manner. If the barse (as in the present instance) are jointed a
second barf is used to fix said joint in any desired position.
At the ankle the fixing and the contra extension which may be necessary are
produced by the bars 9 g arranged on the foot shell d which bars may be adjusted
in the guides hand and fixed by the thumb screws i i.
The said bars may be preferably arranged on both sides of the ankle there being
therefore two bars located on the outer side and also two on the inner side of the
foot.
This bandage is put on in the following manner :-
The pelvis shell a after having been adjusted exactly to this part of the body
will be strapped up by two straps. The one runs over the ossarcrum hole from the
shell over the front edge of the healthy side over the belly to the button m and is
there fastened in any optional manner. The second strap runs from the lower part
of the shell over the hip bone extending likewise to the button m and is attached
thereto.
The shell for the thigh which encircles the same for about two thirds of its
circumference is fastened over the front side by a number of straps. Likewise the
shells for the calf and foot are fastened by suitable straps.
The apparatus may also be used without joints in cases where the maintenance of
rigidity is absolutely necessary.
One may also use apparatus which consist of two or three shells such as the foot
shell, the calf shell and the thigh shell, or the hip shell the thigh shell and the calf
shell where it is a case of fracture etc. at about the middle of these parts and the
surgeon finds the rigidity obtained sufficient.
For the arm the division and arrangement of the apparatus is about the same as
for the leg (Fig. 2).
The shoulder shell k is kept over the breast and the shoulders by means of one or
several straps k¹. The shell n for the upper arm is hinged to the shoulder shell by
means of the bar 1, but may however be connected rigidly and adjustably thereto,
the shell for the lower armo is connected with the shell of the upper arm by the
bar
p with hinge or rigid and capable of adjustment. The apparatus also comprises
the hand support q, which may also be connected with the shell of the lower arm.
The bandage splint for the chest or back shell, the general arrangement of which
corresponds with those described for the other splints, possesses the further
peculiarity that it is intended to support the vertebral column. The special
arrangement for this support consists in providing to the right and left of the pelvis
two supporting bars, which fit to the anatomical shape of the edge of the pelvic

page_text: bone. They run from the coccyx over the os sacrum hole along the crista ossis itëi
and then down the front edge of the pelvis. Two other bars & fit exactly to the
armpits. From the lower bars two bands and extend upward on each side and
from the upper bars s two bands and project downward to meet and cover the
ends of the former bands so that the bands can be connected together at the desired
distance by means of thumb-screws. By this arrangement the weight upon the
vertebral column is removed to the supporting pelvic bone and is carried by the
latter. At the same time this allows the adjustment of the bandage in the longitu-
dinal direction, as well as the manipulation necessary for stretching or counter
extension. This corset-like shell also comprises a number of longitudinal and
horizontal bands fitted exactly to the body and of the buckles and straps over the
chest increasing the fit to the body.
A further advantage of all these open work apparatus is that it is possible to
reach the damaged or ailing part quickly at any time which is not the case with the
gypsum bandages and the like used heretofore."
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that
what I claim is :-
1. The improved splint or device for the ambulance treatment of ailing limbs
and parts, consisting of metal band frames or shells encircling anatomically the
ailing and the surrounding healthy members of the body, which splint may be
drawn out in its longitudinal dimensions by adjustable bars and fixed again by
thumb-screws or the like, or made rigid at the joints by means of connecting bars
according to the requirements of the treatment.
2. The body shell or back support consisting in the combination of a body shell
consisting of longitudinal and cross bands and fastened by straps with the device
for supporting the vertebral column comprising a pair of shaped bars to be
supported on the pelvic bone, a pair of bars shaped to fit to the armpits and
two or more pairs of connecting bands from the one to overlap and be connected by
set-screws or the like.
Dated this 16th dox of Draamber 1900
HERBERT & Co.,
18, Buckingham Street, Strand, London, W.C., Agents for the Applicant.