AN IMPROVED SURGICAL TRUSS
Year: 1884

page_text: I WILLIAM WOOD of 74 King Street in the City of Manchester Surgical
Instrument Maker do hereby declare the nature of my said invention for "AN
IMPROVED SURGICAL TRUSS to be as follows:-
The object of my invention is to construct surgical trusses in such manner that
the pad can be adjusted in various directions so as to adapt it to the part of the
body to which it is to be applied.
In my improved truss the pad is screwed at its centre to the shank of the truss
and the shank is extended beyond this screw which forms a pivot to the pad; in
the extension is a curved slot through which a screw is passed into a hole in the
pad frame; the pad can thus be adjusted upon the pivot and when adjusted can be
fixed by tightening up the screw in the curved slot. Further, in order to allow of
the pad being readily adapted to the configuration or curve of the body the shank
forming the connection between the pad and the spring is made of soft metal such
as soft steel which can be readily bent to adjust the pad to a greater or less angle
with the shank, and for the purpose of facilitating the bending this part of the
shank is made round or approximately so in section instead of flat as has been
usual.
By thus connecting the spring and pad by a round flexible shank fixed by a
central screw on the pad, and having a lateral slot beyond, the truss can be more
perfectly adjusted and secured for either inguinal or femoral hernia and attached
to any form or shape of pad which the nature of the rupture may require.
J. C. MEWBURN,
169, Fleet Street, London,
Agent for the Applicant.

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
I WILLIAM WOOD of 74 King Street in the City of Manchester Surgical
Instrument Maker do hereby declare the nature of my invention for "AN IMPROVED
SURGICAL TRUSS and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be par-
ticularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement :—
"
The object of my invention is to construct surgical trusses in such manner that
the pad can be adjusted in various directions so as to adapt it to the part of the
body to which it is to be applied.
In my improved truss the pad is screwed at its centre to the shank of the truss
and the shank is extended beyond this screw which forms a pivot to the pad; in
the extension is a curved slot through which a screw is passed into a hole in the
pad frame; the pad can thus be adjusted upon the pivot and when adjusted can
be fixed by tightening up the screw in the curved slot. Further in order to allow
of the pad being readily adapted to the configuration or curve of the body or more
correctly speaking to the aperture through which the hernia escapes the shank
forming the connection between the pad and the spring is made of soft metal
such as soft steel which can be readily bent to adjust the pad to a greater or less
angle with the shank, and for the purpose of facilitating the bending the shank is
made round or approximately so in section instead of flat as has been usual and it
is cranked.
By thus connecting the spring and pad by a round flexible cranked shank fixed
by a central screw on the pad, and having a lateral slot beyond, the truss can be
more perfectly adjusted and secured for either inguinal or femoral hernia and
attached to any form or shape of pad which the nature of the rupture may require ;
the lateral slot is not essential but I adopt it as an accessory means of adjustment.
Figure 1 of the accompanying drawings is a view of the back or outer face of a
truss constructed according to my invention. Figure 2 is an edge view. Figure 3
is a view similar to Figure 1 but showing the pad adjusted upon its pivot and
the shank bent laterally. Figure 2 indicates in dotted lines the position of the pad
when the shank is bent inwards for a given inward adjustment. a is the pad of
the truss screwed at its centre b to the shank piece c the screw forming a pivot
around which the pad can be moved. d is an extension of the shank and e is a
curved slot in this extension. f is a screw passed through the slots into the pad
frame. The pad can thus be adjusted laterally upon its pivot b to any extent
within the limits of the slot e. The shank piece c is made of soft metal and its
cranked part c¹ which constitutes the shank proper is of round or approximately
round section; it can therefore be readily bent so as to more accurately adapt the
angle of the pad a to the aperture through which the hernia escapes; this adjust-
ment will be effected as circumstances may require either by bending the shank
laterally as seen in Figure 3 or by bending it inwards as shown in dotted lines in
Figure 2, or by bending it outwards, or by bending it both laterally and inwards
or outwards. g is the spring; the shank piece is secured to it by the clips h, h and
screw or in any other ordinary way.

page_text: 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
1. The improved surgical truss herein before described and represented in the
accompanying drawings.
2. Specially, the soft metal cranked shank of round or approximately round
section connecting the pad and the spring substantially as and for the purpose
herein before described with reference to the accompanying drawings.
Dated this 9th day of February 1885.
J. C. MEWBURN,.
169, Fleet Street, London,
Agent.
J. C. MEWBURN,.
169, Fleet Street, London,
Agent.