Improvements in or connected with Brushes or other Appliances for the Curative Application of Electricity.
Year: 1893

page_text: Date of Application, 26th June, 1893
Complete Specification Left, 26th Apr., 1894-Accepted, 25th May, 1894
TROYINIUNAL DE MULTIVATION.
Improvements in or connected with Brushes or other Appliances
for the Curative Application of Electricity.
I, CHARLTON JAMES WOLLASTON of 31 Notting Hill Terrace in the County
of London, Gentleman do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
The object of my invention is to provide brushes or other appliances by means
of which electricity can be conveniently and efficiently applied to the curing or
alleviation of affections of the nerves or muscles.
According to my invention I provide wires or other conductors of electricity
which are so arranged in a suitable support holder or backing that the ends or
portions of the length thereof can be brought into contact with the body.
The said wires or conductors are respectively connected to the respective poles
of an electric battery or magneto electric machine or other generator of electricity
so that when the ends or portions of the said wires or conductors are brought into
contact with the body the circuit of the generator is completed and an electric
current or electric currents passes or pass through the part of the body included
between the wires or conductors of opposite polarity. The wires or conductors
may constitute the equivalents of the bristles or of some of the bristles of a brush
(either an ordinary or a rotary brush) or they may be held in any suitable backing
such for instance as a backing of fabric with their ends or portions of their lengths
exposed so that when the device is applied to any part of the body which it is
required to treat, the passage of electricity through that part of the body is
effected. The battery or generator from which the electricity is derived may be
contained in any suitable part of the device or the current may be conducted by
any suitable arrangement of leads from the said battery or generator to the said
device.
The battery or generator may for example be contained in a cavity in the back
or handle of a hand brush or in the body or handle of a rotary brush. The wires
or conductors when used in the place of the bristles of a brush may be so protected
by a fabric or covering that the sides of the wires or conductors will not come in
contact and so short circuit the current as to prevent its beneficial action by passing
through parts of the body as aforesaid. When the invention is applied as a rotary
brush the rotary motion of the brush may be used to generate the necessary
current in an electro-magnetic or equivalent generator. The devices may be
provided with means whereby the circuits for the currents can be completed aud
interrupted and regulated as required or with means whereby the current can be
made intermittent such as any suitable forms of switches, current regulators or
make and break appliances.
Dated this 26th day of June 1893.
J. H. JOHNSON & Co.,
47, Lincoln's Inn Fields, Agents.

page_text: рrоvешена u or connected with Brushes or other Appliances
for the Curative Application of Electricity.
I, CHARLTON JAMES WOLLASTON of 31 Notting Hill Terrace in the County of
London Gentleman, 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 :-
The object of my invention is to provide brushes or other appliances by means
of which electricity can be conveniently and efficiently applied to the curing or
alleviation of affectious of the nerves or muscles.
According to my invention I provide wires or other conductors of electricity which
are so arranged in a suitable support holder or backing that the ends or portions
of the length thereof can be brought into contact with the body.
The said wires or conductors are respectively connected to the respective poles of
an electric battery or magneto electric machine or other generator of electricity so
that when the ends or portions of the said wires or conductors are brought into
contact with the body the circuit of the generator is completed, and an electric
current or electric currents passes or pass through the part of the body in luded
between the wires or conductors of opposite polarity. The wires or conductors
may constitute the equivalents of the bristles or of some of the bristles of a brush
(either an ordinary or a rotary brush) or they may be held in any suitable backing
such for instance as a backing of fabric with their ends or portions of their lengths
exposed so that when the device is applied to any part of the body which it is
required to treat the passage of electricity through that part of the body is effected.
The battery or generator from which the electricity is derived may be contained in
any suitable part of the device or the current may be conducted by any suitable
arrangement of leads from the said battery or generator to the said device. The
battery or generator may for example be contained in a cavity in the back or
handle of a hand-brush or in the body or handle of a rotary brush.
The wires or conductors when used in the place of the bristles of a brush may
be so protected by a fabric or covering that the sides of the wires or conductors
will not come in contact and so short circuit the current as to prevent its beneficial
action by passing through parts of the body as aforesaid. When the invention is
applied as a rotary brush the rotary motion of the brush may be used to generate
the necessary current in an electro magnetic or equivalent generator.
In order that my invention may be well understood I will further describe the
same with reference to the accompanying drawing
Figure 1 of which represents in perspective a hand brush with my invention
applied thereto.
Figure 2 is a perspective view partly in section of a rotary brush showing my
invention applied thereto the generator of electricity being contained in the body
of the brush.
Figure 3 shews the application of my invention to a woven fabric binder or other
suitable holder or backing to secure the wires or conductors in their proper
positions.
Referring to Figure 1 a and bare conductors of electricity constituting
equivalents for some of the bristles of the brush. The conductors a are connected
by a suitable lead c to one pole of a generator of electricity the conductors 6 being
connected by the lead d to the opposite pole of the said generator which generator
may be a battery or magneto electric or other suitable generator and may be
situated at any desired distance from the brush.

page_text: The conductors a and b are arranged in alternate rows and between each two
rows of conductors is a row of bristles e or strip of india rubber or other suitable
non-conducting material which will prevent the conductors of one polarity from
coming into contact with the conductors of the opposite polarity and thereby
prevent short circuiting when the brush is in use. When using the brush as an
ordinary hair brush for example or when using it for applying electric currents for
the treatment of rheumatic neuralgic and other pains, so soon as the conductors a
and are brought into contact with the part of the body affected the circuit will
be completed by the portions of the body intervening between the conductors a and b,
and consequently the current will pass through the said parts. One of the leads c
or d is divided and a push button for other suitable contact maker is provided
on any convenient part of the brush so that the circuit may be completed and
broken as required.
In applying my invention to a rotary brush, the rows of conductors of opposite
polarity are arranged alternately and with rows of bristles or other suitable
non-conducting material between each two rows of conductors, and the said
conductors may be connected by leads to the generator of electricity outside the
brush as described with reference to Figure 1, or the generator may be contained
in the body of the brush as shown in Figure 2 in which figure a and
b represent rows of conductors of opposite polarity and e rows of bristles arranged
between each two rows of conductors. Inside the body A of the brush is a
small generator of electricity the part g and brushes h, thereof being fixed to
the body A, so as to rotate therewith the armature i and commutator k, being
fixed on the spindle on which the body A turns. The conductors a and
pass to the interior of the body of the brush and are connected respectively to
the brushes h of the generator. The body A may be rotated by any convenient
means, for example by means of a driving band passing round a sheave m
attached to the body A as shewn.
When the body A is rotating, electricity will be generated, the current passing
from the brushes into the conductors a. b, and when these conductors are
brought into contact with the part of the body to be treated a circuit will be
completed by the parts of the body intervening between the conductors a and b
and cause the current to pass through the said parts. Instead of the rotary
generator described small batteries may be arranged in the body A of the rotary
brush, and if desired the back or handle of the usual form of hand brush may
be provided with a space to contain small batteries, so as to constitute a self
contained electrical appliance. When the electric current is supplied to the wires
or conductors in a rotary brush from a generator outside the brush, the leads from
the said generator to the conductors a and b may pass through one or both handles
of the brush as shewn by dotted lines c. d.
In applying my invention to woven or like fabrics the conductors a and b may
be woven in and with the fabric or they may be interlaced or otherwise attached
to a fabric so that the conductors a are out of contact with the conductors b.
The said conductors are respectively connected to the opposite poles of a generator
of electricity so that when the fabric is applied to any part of the body, the portions of
the body between the conductors a and b, which are in contact therewith complete the
circuit through the conductors and cause the current to pass through the parts of the
body with which the fabric is in contact. The fabric may be made in any form
to suit various parts of the body, for example it may be in the form of a ribband
or binder as shewn in Figure 3, in which a represents the conductors connected
to one pole of a generator of electricity and 6 are the conductors connected to
the opposite pole of the generator, the spaces e, between the conductors representing
ordinary woven or other fabric of non-conducting material.
The device may be provided with means whereby the circuits for the currents
can be completed and interrupted and regulated as required or with means whereby
the current can be made intermittent such as any suitable forms of switches, current.
regulators, or make and break appliances.

page_text: 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 :-
1st. In an apparatus for applying electricity for curing or alleviating affections
of the nerves or muscles a support or holder for two sets of wires or other con-
ductors of electricity of opposite polarity arranged so that the ends or portions of
the lengths of the conductors can be brought into contact with the part of the body
to be treated, the parts of the body included between the parts of the conductors
in contact therewith then completing the circuit or circuits through the generator
of electricity and through the parts of the body in contact with the conductors
substantially as hereinbefore described.
2nd. A brush for applying electricity for the cure or alleviation of affections
of the nerves or muscles the said brush having two sets of wires or other con-
ductors of electricity arranged in alternate rows of opposite polarity, and with
bristles or other non-conducting material between each two adjacent rows of
conductors substantially as and for the purpose hereinbefore described.
3rd. A brush for applying electricity for the cure or alleviation of affections
of the nerves or muscles having two sets of wires or other conductors of electricity
connected to the opposite poles of a battery or other generator of electricity
contained in the body of the brush, the conductors of opposite polarity being
arranged side by side alternately and with insulating material between them to
prevent short circuiting when in use substantially as herein before described.
4th. A brush for applying electricity for the cure or alleviation of affections
of the nerves or muscles constructed substantially as herein before described and
illustrated by Figure 1 of the accompanying drawings.
5th. A rotary brush for applying electricity to the head or other parts of the
body constructed substantially as hereinbefore described and illustrated by Figure 2
of the accompanying drawings.
6th. A band, ribband or other form of woven or other fabric backing or holder
having two sets of wires or other conductors of electricity woven or arranged
therewith or connected thereto in such a manner that one set of conductors can
be connected to one pole of an electric battery or other generator of electricity
and the other set of conductors can be connected to the opposite pole of the
generator so that when the fabric is applied to the body the parts of the
body included. between the parts of the conductors in contact therewith will
complete the circuit from the generator through those parts of the body substan-
tially as herein before described with reference to Figure 3 of the accompanying
drawings.
Dated the 26th dor of April 1894