Improvements in or relating to Electrical Apparatus for Curative Purposes.
Year: 1890

page_text: Date of Application, 30th Apr., 1890
Complete Specification Left, 29th Feb., 1891-Accepted, 28th Mar., 1891
PROVISIONAL ECIFICATION.
Improvements in or relating to Electrical Apparatus for Curative
Purposes.
I, CHARLES FREDERICK AIRD, of 94, Drakefell Road, Peckham, in the County
of Surrey, Accountant, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
This invention relates to electrical appliances which may be used in connection
with hair brushes or other means for applying a current to the human body.
The apparatus preferably consists of a case containing a suitable battery prefer-
ably a dry one, coil and a contact breaker and provided with suitable terminals to
which the necessary wires may be attached. Where the current is to be applied
through the instrumentality of a brush such as a hair brush I employ such kind of
bristles or equivalent as will convey the necessary current and I find that
metallic bristles set in an india-rubber or equivalent flexible backing and in
electrical connection with a suitable plate or wires in or upon the brush back or
body give satisfactory results. The coinmunication with the bristles may be made
in any suitable manner as for example by a wire passing down the handle from
which extends one of the usual covered #exible wires the other end of which is
connected with one of the terminals of the battery. The other terminal of the
battery may be similarly connected with another brush and when this arrangement
is adopted the person desirous of receiving the current can use the two brushes
in the ordinary way, the current passing while contact is made with the bristles
of both brushes. Or if desired a contact plate may be provided upon or in con-
nection with one of the brushes so that a single brush may be used at one time.
If it is desired to operate with one brush only then the second wire instead of
being connected with a second brush may be connected with any convenient
form of electrode or contact handle which is grasped by the spare hand of the
operator.
Where the person receiving the current is operated upon by another person
and it is desired to use both brushes at once. perhaps the most convenient
arrangement is to connect both brushes with the same terminal and make the
patient grasp the handle belonging to the other terminal as previously described,
or place himself in the most suitable manner in contact with the other terminal.
Where it is desired to obtain the current without the use of the brush all that
is necessary is to provide two contact handles or equivalent which the patient
grasps or otherwise places himself electrically in connection with both terminals of
the battery.
The strength of the current may be varied in any convenient manner by one
of the well known devices for this purpose.
I prefer to employ a case or box for this invention preferably in the form of a
boz which contains the batteries and coil while the portion which is usually
accessible is in the form of a cup-board the door of which contains on its inner
face the brush or brushes and hooks, screws or devices for carrying one or inore
coils of insulated wire. It may also if desired carry the contact handles. On the
inside of this cupboard may be supported the handles, the terminals for the
battery, the switch device for turning the batteries on or off, and the knob of
If
the coil or core for increasing or decreasing the strength of the current.
desired also the brushes, in fact the whole of the removable portion of the apparatus
may be carried in the cupboard the door being free. Within the cupboard may
be carried a plate either fixed or removable upon which the foot is placed when

page_text: required for obtaining a current. This plate may be connected with the battery
in any suitable manner and if removable may be so arranged that one of the
insulating wires may be used to make a connection between the terminal of the
battery and the plate.
Dated this 30th Auxil 1980
W. P. THOMPSON & BOULT,
Agents for the Applicant.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION,
Improvements in or relating to Electrical Apparatus for Curative
Purposes.
1. CHARLES FELDERICK MIRD, of 94, Drakefell Road, Peckham, in the County
of Surrey, Accountant, do hereby declare the nature of the said 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 electrical appliances which may be used in commection
with hair brushes or other means for applying a current to the human body.
The apparatus preferably consists of a case containing a suitable battery prefer-
ably a dry one, coil and a contact breaker and provided with suitable terminals to
which the eary wires may be attached. Where the current is to be applied
through the in-trumentality of a brush such as a hair brush 1 employ such kind of
bristles or equivalent as" will convey the necessary current and 1 find that
metallic bristles set in an india-rubber or equivalent flexible meking and in
electrical connection with a suitable plate or wires in or upon the brush back or
body give satisfactory results. The communication with the bristles may be made
in any suitable manner as for example by a wire passing down the handle from
which extends one of the usual covered flexible wires the other end of which is
connected with one of the terminals of the battery. The other terminal of the
battery may be similarly connected with another brush and when this arrangement
is adopted the person desirous of receiving the current can use the two brushes
in the ordinary way, the current passing while contact is made with the bristles
of both brushes. Or if desired a contact plate may be provided upon or in
connection with one of the brushes so that a single brush may be used at one time.
If it is desired to operate with one brush only then the second wire instead of
being connected with a second brush may be connected with any convenient form
of electrode or contact handle which is grasped by the spare hand of the operator.
Where the person receiving the current is operated upon by another person and
it is desired to use both brushes at once, perhaps the most convenient arrange-
ment is to connect both brushes with the same terminal and make the patient grasp
the handle belonging to the other terminal as previously described, or place
himself in the most suitable manner in contact with the other terminal.
Where it is desired to obtain the current without the use of the brush all that
is necessary is to provide two contnet handles or equivalent which the patient
grasps or otherwise places himself electrically in connection with both terminals
of the battery.
The strength of the current may be varied in any convenient manner by one of
the well known devices for this purpose.
I prefer to employ a case or box for this invention preferably in the form of a
box which contains the batteries and coil while the portion which is usually
accessible is in the form of a cup-board the door of which contains on its inner
face the brush or brushes and hooks, screws or devices for carrying one or more
coils of insulated wire. It may also if desired carry the contact banilles. On the
inside of this cupboard may be supported the handles, the terminals for the battery,
the switch device for turning the batteries on or off, and the knob of the coil or

page_text: core for increasing or decreasing the strength of the current. If desired also the
brushes, in fact the whole of the removable portion of the apparatus may be carried
in the cupboard the door being free. Within the cupboard may be carried a
plate either fixed or removable upon which the foot is placed when required for
obtaining a current. This plate may be connected with the battery in any suitable
manner and if removable may be so arranged that one of the insulating wires may
be used to make a connection between the terminal of the battery and the plate.
In the accompanying drawings,
Figure 1 represents one form of the complete apparatus with the door open and
Figure 2 represents closed the same apparatus excepting that the switch and
terminals are outside the case.
Figure 3 is a section of the brush which may be used with this apparatus.
Like letters represent like parts throughout the drawings.
A represents a case preferably of wood containing in a closed compartiment, the
interior of which is not shown in the drawings as there is no novelty in this portion
of the apparatus the battery or batteries which are preferably dry gas batteries
the contact making and breaking device and the usual shocking coil. The knob B
is in connection with the core of the coil for the purpose of increasing or decreasing
the strength of the current. CC are the terminals connected with the coil and
D is the switch which as shown in Figure is out of operation and when placed
on to the contact E marked 1 introduces one battery into the circuit and when
placed on to the contact E2 introduces two batteries into the circuit. F are the
electrodes one of which may be connected by the insulated wire G with one of
the terminals C and the other terminal with the brush II, or if the apparatus is
to be used without the brush both the electrodes F may be connected with the
terminals C.
The brush H has conducting and preferably metallic bristles I set in a piece
of flexible material preferably rubber and so arranged as to make electrical con-
tact with the plate J which through the contact piece or wire K is connected
with the conducting wire which projects from the handle of the brush. The
coupling Lenables this wire to be freely connected with either of the wires G.
In using this apparatus with the brush one of the wires ( is connected with one
terminal while the supplementary wire M shown in Figure 1 coiled round the
hook or pin A upon the door A' of the casing is connected at one end with the
wire L of the brush and at the other end with the second terminal C. By this
means when the brush is applied to the head of the person using it the circuit is
completed the strength of the current being adjusted by the knob 13. If desired
two brushes may be employed one in each hand each being connerted with the
terminals C and the electrode F being then dispensed with. Or if it is desired
not to use the brushes at all but merely to pass the current through the person using
the apparatus the two electrodes may be connected with the terminals and no
brushes used.
With this arrangement it will be seen that all the apparatus can be secured
within the case against loss or damage. The movable portion of the electrodes F
may be of metal tubes and adapted to fit over buttons or projections in the base
of the case as shown in Figure I.
The modification in the apparatus shown in Figure 2 merely consists in the
placing of the terminals and switch and its contacts outside the case instead of
inside.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed. I declare that what I
claim is :-
1. In an apparatus such as described the combination in the same case or
apparatus containing the batteries contact making and breaking device and
induction coil and adapted to be connected and used therewith or closed up therein
of two electrodes and conducting wires such as F and G one or more brushes and

page_text: ronducting wires such as Hand Land an independent conducting wire such as M
the whole substantially as described and illustrated in Figures 1 and 3 of the
accompanying drawings.
2. In an electric hair brush the combination with the conducting bristles I of a
metallic plate such as substantially as described and illustrated in Figure 3 of
the accompanying drawings.
3. The combination and arrangement of parts constituting the complete electrical
apparatus substantially as described and illustrated in Figure 1 of the accompanying
drawings.
4. The combination and arrangement of parts constituting the complete electrical
apparatus substantially as described and illustrated in Figure 2 of the accompanying
drawings.
Dated this 28th day of February 1891.
CHLAS. F. AIRD.
W. P. Thompson & Boult,
Agents for the Applicant.
CHLAS. F. AIRD.
W. P. Thompson & Boult,
Agents for the Applicant.