IMPROVEMENTS IN FLEXIBLE GALVANIC BATTERIES APPLICABLE TO MEDICO-ELECTRIC PURPOSES
Year: 1867

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Richard Beard at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition,. on the
15th June 1867.
I, RICHARD BEARD, of 304, Oxford Street,, in the County of Middlesex,
do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
FLEXIBLE GALVANIC BATTERIES APPLICABLE TO MEDICO-ELECTRIC PURPOSES," to be
as follows:-
This Invention relates to improved arrangements in the construction of
galvanic belts, bandages, or surfaces suitable for being applied to the human
body or limbs for the treatment of those diseases for. which the employment of
galvanism is known to be beneficial.
in arranging the parts or elements of a galvanic battery for this purpose I'
attach (by means of rivets or otherwise) to waterproof or other suitable fabric-
a series of pieces of positive and negative metals, which I prefer to place in a
continuous line more or less apart from each other. In the employment of
rivets for this purpose I prefer to form a recess in each piece of metal into

page_text: which the head of the rivet is sunk. Having passed the stems of the rivet
through the pieces of metal and the fabric I connect (at the back of the
fabric) the wires of a small wire coil in contact with the stem of each rivet
attached to the positive metal, the rivet being then closed. In like manner I
connect with a separate wire coil the other series of rivets, so as to accumulate
and conduct the electricity generated by the negative pieces of metal; or I
conduct the respective currents by attaching a piece of wire to the stem of
each rivet, which I connect with wire coils, or with single wires laid by the
side of the pieces of metal to accumulate and conduct their respective currents
to their respective poles.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Richard Beard in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
14th December 1867.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, RICHARD
BEARD, of 304, Oxford Street, in the County of Middlesex, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Fifteenth day of June, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and sixty-seven, in the thirtieth year of Her reign,
did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the
said Richard Beard, Her special licence that I, the said Richard Beard,
my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said
Richard Beard, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any
time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times thereafter
during the term therein expressed, should and lawfully might make, use,
exercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland,
the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
FLEXIBLE GALVANIC BATTERIES APPLICABLE TO MEDICO-ELECTRIC PURPOSES," upon
the condition (amongst others) that I, the said Richard Beard, my execu-
tors or administrators, by an instrument in writing under my, or their, or one
of their hands and seals, should particularly describe and ascertain the nature
of the said Invention, and in what manner the same was to be performed, and
cause the same to be filed in the Great Seal Patent Office within six calendar
months next and immediately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Richard Beard, do hereby declare
the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be per-

page_text: formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement thereof, that is to say:
This Invention relates to improved arrangements in the construction of
flexible galvanic batteries in the form of belts, bandages, or surfaces suitable
for being applied to the human body or limbs for the treatment of those
diseases for which the employment of galvanism is known to be beneficial.
And in order that my Invention may be most fully understood and readily
carried into practice, I will proceed to describe the Drawing hereunto
annexed, which shows several views of a galvanic battery made up in the
form of a belt or bandage suitable for being applied to the back or spine of a
patient, the parts constituting the galvanic battery being arranged and com-
bined in the manner I prefer to employ in carrying out my improvements; at
the same time I would remark that I do not confine myself to the particular
arrangement and combination shown in the Drawing, as the same may be
considerably varied without departing from the principle or true character of
to be applied to the skin of the patient or wearer; Figure 2 shows a back
view thereof, showing the metallic conducting cords or coils; Figure 3 is a
longitudinal section, and Figure 4 a transverse section taken through, the
metal discs, which are rivetted to the conducting cords and wires with woven
or other fabric interposed between to form the flexible belt or bandage.
In arranging the parts or elements of a galvanic battery for the purpose of
constructing a flexible belt or bandage in accordance with my improvements
I attach by means of rivets, as shown (or otherwise), to a strip of waterproof
or other suitable fabric A a series of pieces or discs of positive and negative
metals a and b, by preference one of copper and the other magnesium,
although I do not confine myself thereto, as any two metals known as positive
and negative galvanic metals may be employed for this purpose. These discs
or other shaped pieces of metal a and b are arranged alternately, and I prefer
to place them in a continuous line more or less apart from each other. In
the employment of rivets for the purpose of attaching and securing the metallic
surfaces a and b (the form and dimensions of which may be varied) to the
conducting coils, cords, or wires with the flexible fabric or other material A
interposed between them, I prefer to form a recess or depression in each disc
or other flat-shaped piece of metal a, b, into which the heads of the rivets q, b',

page_text: are sunk. Having passed the stems of the rivets through the metal
surfaces a, b, and the flexible fabric A, I connect each of the two series at the
back of the fabric to separate small copper or silver wire coils, or by preference
with metallic cords c made with a number of threads covered with thin yellow
sheet metal, such threads being twisted into strands, and known in the trade
as "yellow cord," into each strand of which I introduce several fine annealed
copper conducting wires, so as not to interfere with the flexibility of the belt
or bandage when made up. The conducting wires of one of the cords or coils
are brought in contact with the stems of the rivets of the positive discs or
pieces of metal a, the other conducting wires being placed in contact with the
stems of the negative discs or pieces of metal by preference in the following
manner After the stem of the rivet has been passed through the fabric A
a washer of the same or other metal possessing the like galvanic properties is
placed over it at the back of the fabric, a saw cut or slit being made in the
stem of the rivet into which a piece of wire is inserted, and the two sides of
the stem of the rivet are then closed together thereon, so as to hold the piece
of wire securely, the ends of the piece of wire c¹ being bound round the con-
ducting cord on each side of the stem of the rivet; an opening is then made
between the strands of the yellow conducting cord (previously described)
through which the stem of the rivet is passed; another washer of the same
kind of metal is then placed over the stem of the rivet, which is then closed
by a blow or by pressure to secure the parts and ensure their close contact, as
will be clearly understood on examining Figures 3 and 4 of the Drawing. A
flexible galvanic battery of this construction when worn with the positive and
negative metal surfaces a and b in close contact with the skin of a patient
becomes self-acting.
I would remark that although I prefer to connect the parts together in the
manner previously described, I do not intend to confinė myself thereto, as
other means may be adopted so as to answer the purpose for conducting the
electric current generated by the combination of positive and negative metallic
surfaces, as berein described. In some cases I construct a flexible galvanic
battery according to my Invention by placing all the negative metal surfaces
'which come in contact with the skin of the patient in one row or line, and all
the positive metal surfaces in an adjacent row, and then connecting the pieces
of negative and positive metals respectively by the use of separate conductors,
as previously described and shown in the Drawing, which is the arrangement
I prefer to employ.
The size and number of the metal surfaces a and b employed in the con-

page_text: struction of flexible galvanic batteries in the form of belts or bandages may be
greatly varied, depending upon the nature of each particular case for which
the application of a galvanic battery of this character is required, and in
accordance with the judgment of those skilled in the use of such appliances.
In witness whereof, 1, the said Richard Beard, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Fourteenth day of December, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight bundred and sixty-seven.
Witness,
J. G. TONGUE,
Patent Agent,
34, Southampton Buildings,
Chancery Lane, W.C.
RICHP. BEARD. (L.s.)