An Improved Surgical Cupping-appliance.
Year: 1895

page_text: An Improved Surgical Cupping-appliance.
I, PIERRE BASMAISON, of 7 Rue Neuve-Popincourt, Paris, in the Republic of
France, Carpenter, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
:-
My invention relates to a cupping appliance which has no pump proper nor a
burner, and which being easily manipulated can be applied by anybody without
previous instruction.
This improved cupping appliance comprises in principle an indiarubber disc
attached by one of its edges to the upper part of the body of the appliance and by
its other edge to the periphery of a movable plug or disc, in such a manner that,
when by any appropriate means, such as a screw or simple rod ending in a button,
the said movable plug or disc is brought to the lower part of the body of the
appliance the india rubber disc is energetically stretched and adheres as perfectly
as possible to the inner periphery of the appliance. The latter is then ready to be
applied, its lower edge being in contact with the skin, if the plug or disc is moved
upwards by turning the screw in the opposite direction or by allowing the elasticity
of the rubber to act in case a simple rod is used, an almost perfect vacuum is
produced in the appliance and this latter acts in the customary manner.
A cylinder or preferably a hollow truncated cone, open at its two ends forms the
principal body of the cupping appliance. It may consist of any suitable material,
but when made of moulded glass it has the advantage of enabling the operator to
make sure of the proper action of the device.
The body of the appliance has its lower edge rounded in order to allow of its
proper application to the skin; morcover it carries at its upper part a metallic
handle or bridge-piece forming at its centre a nut for receiving a screw serving to
effect the to-aud-fro movement of a plug or disc.
The truncated cone is reinforced at its upper part by two pins or projections
cast in one piece with the cylinder and serving to fix the aforesaid handle or
bridge-piece.
As before stated this handle or bridge-piece in its centre and in the axis of the
body of the cupping appliance, is traversed by a screw. The latter is provided
at its upper part with an arm having ears which enable it to be operated by hand;
at its lower part this screw is connected to the plug or disc through the intervention
of a metallic ferrule and an auxiliary screw.
To allow of rectilinear movements of the plug or disc while preventing the
turning of the latter, the ferrule is fixed upon a central projection on the plug or
disc, and this ferrule forms a ring for the small screw the threaded portion of which
is screwed into the principal screw.
The plug or disc which is preferably of moulded glass, has exactly or approxi-
mately the size of the lower opening of the inverted truncated cone and has the
effect that during its entire movement it never rubs upon the inner periphery of
the body of the cupping appliance its friction is therefore nil. during the whole
operation.
At the upper part of the truncated cone and on its outer surface is formed a
groove in which I fix in any convenient manner, the outer edge of the indiarubber
disc; this disc may be secured to the glass or firmly attached by means of either
a wire or any other suitable device.

page_text: The plug or disc presents on its periphery a groove similar to the above-
mentioned groove in the body and wherein I fix in a similar manner the other edge
of the rubber disc. In order to ensure the adherence of the rubber to the inner
periphery of the body of the appliance during the operation of the cupping
appliance, the inner periphery is made slightly convex from the upper to the
lower edge.
For using the appliance I move the plug or disc down to the bottom of the body
by turning the screw in its nut. I then apply the body by a slight pressure exactly
upon the affected part of the person's body and turn the screw backwards in order
to raise the plug or disc and thus cause the cupping appliance to act.
In a modified arrangement the aforesaid screw is replaced by a simple rod guided
in a bridge-piece, and directly actuated by hand with the aid of a button. The
rubber disc has no central aperture, so that the plug or disc will bear with its
entire under surface against the rubber disc when the said plug or disc is moved
downwards.
I may operate in this modification as in the first-described arrangement, that is
to pierce the rubber disc with a hole and fix the same by its inner edge in a groove
provided at the periphery of the plug or disc.
This plug or disc may also be raised and lowered by a rack instead of by the
before-mentioned screw rod, this rack being operated by a pinion having a suitable
handle secured thereto.
I may connect the aforesaid handle or bridge-piece to the body of the cupping
appliance by means of a kind of bayonet joint which enables the appliance to be
easily mounted and dismounted.
Dated this 20th day of March 1805
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45 Southampton Buildings, London, W.C., Agents for the Applicant.
improved Surgical Cupping appшance.
I PIERRE BASMAISON of 7 Rue Neuve-Popincourt, Paris, in the Republic of
France, Carpenter, 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 relates to a pneumatic surgical cupping appliance without pump
or burner adapted to be simply and easily manipulated by any person with or
without previous instruction.
This appliance consists generally of an annular film or membrane of caoutchouc
.or the like attached at its exterior border to the upper part of the cup, at its
interior border to a movable disk in such a manner that when, by means of a screw
or equivalent construction, this disk is brought to the lower part of the cup, the
film is stretched and adheres to the inner wall of the cup which is then ready to
be used.
When its lower edge is in contact with the skin and the disk is raised, a sufficient
vacuum is produced in the cup to answer its general purpose.
In the annexed drawing Figures 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6 are vertical sections of
different constructions of the cupping appliance and Figures 7 and 8 are views of
details thereof.
In all these figures similar parts are designated by the same reference letters.
The appliance includes always a body or cup a preferably of glass, a disk b and
a film c of caoutchouc or other appropriate material.
In the construction shown in Fig. 1. the disk is in two pieces b and between
which is held the inner border of the film c, the other swelling border of which is

page_text: .
The
retained in its place by a ring d placed into a splay or recess in the cup a.
parts and are united by a screw coated with glue or other material suitable
for assuring that it shall be air-tight.
To operate the disk 6 I use a construction consisting of several screws or screwed
tubes e, e', e provided with shoulders m, m², m². The tubes move in each other
when the upper tube is turned. The latter is provided with an inner screw and as
soon as the tube et has passed completely into the tube e it cannot turn further, it
is revolved by and with tube e and raises the
screw e
The tube e is provided with a stopper f (Fig. 8) resting on a cover g screwed on
the cup a, and provided with a central hole to receive the corresponding part of the
stopper which ends in a square f¹ (Fig. 8) and in a screw threaded part 10;
the square is engaged in a collar of a handle i ornamental or otherwise; the
collar is kept upon the stopper f by a nut or cap k.
In Fig. 2. the cover g is not screwed upon cup a but it possesses an annular
recess open at several places through which can pass bosses of glass on the rim
of the cup to form a kind of bayonet-joint. The ring d is enclosed in the swelling
of the film c.
In Fig. 3 the body a forms its own cover leaving a circular passage for the tube e
it is provided with a cap q upon which rests the handle i. As in Figs. 4 and 5 the
disk bis in one piece only having in its edge a groove to receive the edge of the
film c and the thread or wire which keeps it in the groove.
To keep the film c in the cup shown in Fig. 3. I may use the metallic spring
shown in Fig. 7. which can be introduced through the lower end of the cup; it
consists of a curved wire p and of a tube s welded thereon at s¹ its free extremity
embracing loosely the free extremity of wire p, and this end p' of the wire p is
flattened and curved and projects through a slot in the tube 8 to form a pawl
engaging with the teeth cut in the tube s. To fix the film it is sufficient, while
keeping the pawl p' out of its arresting position, to reduce the ring by sliding the
wire pin the tube s, then placing it in the interior of the glass, the circle will relax
and the border of the film c will be pressed into the groove a² of the glass
previously coated with glue or other adhesive. At the same time the pawl p will
engage in the teeth of the tube.
In Figs. 4 and 5 the disk is attached to a single screw e engaging in a female
screw n fixed or made in the cover g (Fig. 5) or in a bail o (Fig. 4). In the first
case the cover g is pressed with the border of the film c upon the cup a and in the
second case the cup a is made with an exterior groove a¹ which receives the
exterior edge of the film and the thread or wire which keeps it in place.
The cupping appliance shown in Fig. 6 is the simplest in form; it is analogous
to that of Fig. 4 but its disk b is to be operated by a shaft upon which the film
exercises a traction.
This cupping appliance is not only serviceable in the usual cases but is also
adapted to operate a suction for the removal of poisonous matters, as its opening
can be reduced by means or an annular resistant disk previded or not with
caoutchouc.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what 1
claim is :-
1. A cupping appliance consisting of a conical body or cup a upon the upper
horder of which is fixed the exterior border of an annular film e the inner border
of which is fixed to a disk which may be operated by means of a shaft r or of
one or several screws e, e', e², movable by an exterior handle i substantially as
described in reference to Figs. 1 to 8 of the annexed drawing and for the purpose
hereinbefore specified.
2. The combination with the film c and the body a of the cupping appliance, of
a ring p, forming spring and pawl substantially as hereinbefore described and
shown in Fig. 7 of the annexed drawing.

page_text: . 3. The combination with the disk of several screws or screwed tubes e, e¹,
provided with shoulders m, m¹ and entering the one into the other substantially as
herein before described in reference to Fig. 1 of the annexed drawing.
4. The combination of the body a the film c and the cover g adapted to hold the
film upon the body a of the cupping appliance substantially as hereinbefore
described in reference to Fig. 5 of the annexed drawing.
5. The combination with the film c of the metallic ring d enclosed or not in the
caoutchouc substantially as herein before described in reference to Figs. 1 and 2 of
the annexed drawing.
ليمم
100%
HERBERT HADDAN & Co.,
18 Buckingham Street, Strand, London, W.C., Agents to the Applicant.