An Improved Spoon or Instrument for Administering Medicine or Food to Invalids or Children.
Year: 1890

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
An Improved Spoon or Instrument for Administering Medicine or
Food to Invalids or Children.
I, AMY KATE CORDES of East Down House near Barnstaple in the County of
Devon, 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 :-
My Invention has for its object to provide a spoon or instrument by which medicine
or food can be administered to invalids or children without danger of spilling the food
or medicine and so that the said spoon or instrument can be put down whilst con-
taining the food or medicine without its contents leaving the spoon or instrument.
According to my Invention I make the spoon or instrument with its bowl or part
for containing the food or medicine covered entirely by a portion by preference made in
one piece with the bowl and formed therewith so that there are no sharp edges or
protruding parts of a character likely to injure the patient or child. There is however
in the closure of the bowl a small opening for the outlet of the food or medicine in
administering it to the patient or child and also an opening through which the food or
medicine is introduced and this latter opening is closed by a stopper or by a spring
cover. A sufficient airway is made in the stopper or cover of the spoon or instrument
to allow of the exit of the contents when in use. When I use a separate stopper it
may be attached to the spoon by a chain or cord to prevent its being lost.
The handle I make of a shape such that it supports the spoon or instrument with
the bowl in a horizontal or approximately horizontal position for which purpose
the outer-end of the handle may be widened out and bent downwards.
The accompanying drawing represents in plan in Figure 1 and in longitudinal
section in Figure 2 a spoon made according to my Invention. The bowl of the spoon
is marked A and the handle is marked B. The bowl is covered by the part C shown
as being formed in one with the bowl and without sharp edges or projections such as
would be liable to injure the patient or child. c is the orifice for the exit of the
contents in administering them and c³ is an opening for the insertion into the spoon of
the medicine or food to be administered. The latter opening is when the spoon is in
use covered by the stopper D attached to the spoon by the cord or chain d. The
handle is broadened out at the end and bent down so that the spoon when not in use
can rest in a horizontal or approximately horizontal position as shewn in Figure 2.
Figure 3 shews a modification wherein the same parts are marked with the same
letters of reference. The openings c³ instead of being closed by a stopper is closed by
a lid D' which turns on a hinge d³ kept closed by the spring d².
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
Invention and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what
I claim is
1st. A spoon or instrument for administering food or medicine having the bowl
entirely covered but with an opening for the exit of the contents in use and with an
orifice for the insertion of the food or medicine closeable by a stopper or lid substantially
as herein before described.
2nd. The spoon hereinbefore described and shewn in Figures 1 and 2 of the
accompanying drawings.
3rd. The spoon hereinbefore described and shewn in Figure 3 of the accompanying
drawings.
201
1
"
1000