An Improved Arrangement of Element Board for Electro- therapeutic Diagnosis.
Year: 1894

page_text: Date of Application, 18th Apr., 1894
Complete Specification Left, 18th Jan., 1895-Accepted, 2nd Mar., 1895
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
An Improved Arrangement of Element Board for Electro-
therapeutic Diagnosis.
1, WILLIAM JAMES BISHOP, of 74, George Street, Croydon, in the County
of Surrey, Electrician, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
My invention relates to element boards or apparatus for use with continuous
electric currents in electro-therapeutic diagnosis for the purpose of ascertaining
and testing the muscular contractions caused by polar reactions.
Hitherto in medical batteries various forms of commutators and current
interruptors have been employed, all of which have owing to their complications
and mechanical defects given rise to mistakes when testing for muscular contractions.
For example, in the usual switch form of current interruptor if the contact pin head
has become worn and concave, instead of a true "make," it is easy to get first a
"make," then a "break," and finally a "remake" of the circuit during the
movement of the lever over the defective pin head, whereby the contraction (which
ought to have been ascertained at the moment of closure) is or may be truly due to
the "break" caused by the deformation of the pin head.
The object of my invention is to effectually remedy and obviate such defects, to
simplify the apparatus, and to facilitate and render accurate the work of the
operator.
By my improved arrangement of element board the manner in which the four
current disturbances [by the normal formula, cathodal closure contraction (C.C.C.),
anodal opening contraction (A.O.C), anodal closure contraction (A.C.C.), and
cathodal opening contraction (C.O.C.)] are obtained is simple, efficient, and not
necessarily involving any highly scientific attainments. The cells of the battery
are connected to a dial collector or rheostat provided with a handle in the usual
way for varying the current strength. Upon the board the binding screws of the
testing electrodes are fixed, and according to my invention these are flexibly
connected to a rubbing contact block capable of sliding over four separate poles
in such manner as to change the polarity of the testing electrodes at each movement.
These poles are each separately electrically connected with a moving manual device
such as a plunger which may advantageously be marked with the formula or symbol
of muscular contraction which it will test.
The four manuals are adapted two to "make" and two to "break" the circuit as
and when required. The sliding contact block is furnished with an operating handle
and may have a pointer indicating the manual to which it is opposite or connected
for the time being.
The patient being suitably placed in the circuit, on operation of that manual of
the element board which is opposite to the sliding contact block the condition of the
circuit is changed, and then by gradually increasing the current strength by the
rheostat the first manifestation of the specific muscular contraction sought for will
be at once observed.
Dated thin 10th 3 of Al 100
J. C. CHAPMAN,
Agent.

page_text: An Improved Arrangement of Element Board for Electro-
therapeutic Diagnosis.
I, WILLIAM JAMES BISHOP, of 74, George Street, Croydon, in the County
of Surrey, Electrician, 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 element boards or apparatus for use with continuous
electric currents in electro-therapeutic diagnosis for the purpose of ascertaining
and testing the muscular contractions caused by polar reactions.
Hitherto in medical batteries various forms of commutators and current
interruptors have been employed, all of which have owing to their complications
and mechanical defects given rise to mistakes when testing for muscular contractions.
For example, in the usual switch form of current interruptor, if the contact pin head
has become worn and concave, instead of a true "make," it is easy to get first a
"make," then a "break," and finally a "remake" of the circuit during the movement
of the lever over the defective pin-head, whereby the contraction (which ought to
have been ascertained at the moment of closure) is or may be truly due to the
"break" caused by the deformation of the pin head.
The object of my invention is to effectually remedy and obviate such defects, to
simplify the apparatus, and to facilitate and render accurate. the work of the
operator.
By my improved arrangement of element board the manner in which the four
current disturbances [by the normal formula, cathodal closure contraction (C.C.C.),
anodal opening contraction (A.O.C.), anodal closure contraction (A.C.C.), and
cathodal opening contraction (C.O.C.)] are obtained is simple, efficient, and not
necessarily involving any highly scientific attainments.
I will describe my invention in reference to the accompanying drawings in
which
Fig. 1 is a plan of the board;
Fig. 2 an inverted plan; and
Fig. 3 a cross section of manuals and contacts.
The cells of the battery (which is not shown) are placed in series, and the negative
poles connected consecutively to the studs s. s. of a dial collector or rheostat which
may be constructed as illustrated at S with a handle s for varying the current
strength, or it may be of any suitable kind. E. E are the binding screws of the
electrodes fixed upon the board, one of which E' is the testing electrode, the
connection from which leads to the rheophone. These electrodes according to my
invention are flexibly connected electrically by wires e. e¹ to a rubbing contact
block B arranged underneath the board and capable of sliding over four separate
poles P¹ P3 P3 P₁, each of which is separately connected to the + pole of the
battery. These four poles are each also separately electrically connected by
wires p¹ p² p³ * respectively to convenient parts of the four moving manual
operating devices, the contact pieces c¹ c2c of which are also connected by
wires to the rheostat bandle s'. Any suitable form and arrangement of operating
device may be employed, but I have shown four spring-return plungers which may
advantageously and in the drawing are marked respectively with the symbol of
muscular contraction above defined which each will test. The four manuals are
adapted two to make and two to break the circuit as and when required. The
contacts of C.C. and A.C. are normally open, and operation will close the circuit
respectively through c¹ or 3; those of A.O. and C.O. are normally closed, and
operation will open the circuit. respectively through c² or c. The sliding contact

page_text: block B is furnished with an operating handle H passing up through a slot b in the
board, and it may have a pointer such as indicating the manual to which it is
opposite or connected for the time being.
The patient being suitably placed in the circuit, on operation of that manual of
the element board which is opposite to the sliding contact block the condition of
the circuit is changed, and then by gradually increasing the current strength
by the rheostat the first manifestation of the specific muscular contraction sought
for will be at once observed.
By a modified arrangement of mechanism I am able to obtain the desired test
connections by the sliding block only, and without the use of supplementary
manuals above described, but there are certain drawbacks to such an adaptation
and I prefer the arrangement above specified.
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 I
claim is :-
The improved arrangement and method of operation of element board for electro-
therapeutic diagnosis substantially as above described and illustrated in the
accompanying drawings.
1
T
1002