AN IMPROVED APPARATUS FOR SUBCUTANEOUS EXTRACTIONS AND INJECTIONS
Year: 1870

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Edward Gedge, of the Firm of John
Gedge and Son, of No. 11, Wellington Street, Strand, in the County
of Middlesex, Patent Agent, for the Invention of "AN IMPROVED
APPARATUS FOR SUBCUTANEOUS EXTRACTIONS AND INJECTIONS." -A commu-
nication from abroad by Georges Dieulafoy, of 39, Faubourg St.
Martin, Paris, France.
Sealed the 17th June 1870, and dated the 4th March 1870.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Edward Gedge
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition,
on the 4th March 1870.
I, WILLIAM EDWARD GEDGE, of the Firm of John Gedge and Son,
of No. 11, Wellington Street, Strand, in the County of Middlesex,
Patent Agent, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for
"AN IMPROVED APPARATUS FOR SUBCUTANEOUS EXTRACTIONS AND INJECTIONS," a
communication to me from abroad by Georges Dieulafoy, of 39, Faubourg
St. Martin, Paris, France, to be as follows:-
The syringe the subject of this Invention is composed as illustrated,
Fig. 1 of the accompanying Sheet of Drawing, of a pump barrel, to

page_text: which are fixed at P and G two short tubes or cannula pieces, each
provided with a cock, and having an inner screw thread for the fixing of
a trocar or of an ordinary cannula.
For subcutaneous extractions the end of the cannula piece P is fitted
with a trocar of the required length (on reference to Fig. 2 it will be
observed that the trocar is pierced with several holes to avoid
obstruction), and after its introduction into the part to be explored it
is only necessary to create a vacuum in the syringe to draw out the
matter sought for.
In case of continuous punction or tapping another piece of ordinary
cannula will be added to that G, and when the barrel or chamber of the
syringe is filled with matter to be ejected the cock of the cannula P will
be closed, that of the cannula G opened, and the contents of the syringe
will be forced out. This operation may be repeated as many times as
may be required without the necessity of displacing the apparatus.
To transform this extractor into an injector it will only be necessary
to fit it with an ordinary trocar cannula, that is to say, one pierced at
the end with but a single hole (see Fig. 3), and to introduce this cannula
into the part to be injected, care being had to keep the cock P closed,
the cannula G will be made to dip into the liquid to be injected, the
cock G will be opened and the liquid sucked into the syringe, then
the cock G will be closed, that P opened, the liquid injected, and
so on.
When it is desired to use this instrument for local anesthesis an
ordinary cannula will be fitted to P, care being taken that this cannula
is pierced with as small a hole as possiblo. The syringe will be filled
with ether, and the time indispensable for emptying the syringe on to
the parts to be treated will be sufficient to produce complete ancesthesis.
The piston rod of this syringe may be graduated by means of a screw
thread and a nut E to regulate its stroke, and thereby to regulate the
dosing whether for extraction or injection. By a special arrangement of
the piston rod the vacuum may be maintained in the pump barrel so
long that the liquid to be sucked in shall enter it by the simple effect of
the vacuum. The vacuum being formed by the simple traction of the
piston rod the question is how to preserve it, and for this purpose a
notch is made in the lower part of the piston rod, and a projection on
that part of the cover of the pump barrel which forms socket; the rod

page_text: being at the end of its stroke it is only necessary to give it a slight turn
to place the projection in the notch and form a stop, as shewn, Figs. 4
and 5, or the rod may be fixed by any suitable device. The suction
then takes place simply under the influence of atmospheric pressure,
whether it be for the introduction into the pump barrel of a
subcutaneous liquid or of a medicinal liquid to be injected.
These various operations may be effected without withdrawing the
trocar from the wound, and consequently without inflicting this pain,
an important result considering that hitherto the removal of the trocar
was imperative, if not at at each operation, at least at cach part of the
operation.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said William Edward Gedge in the Great Scal Patent
Office on the 1st September 1870.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
EDWARD GEDGE, of the Firm of John Gedge and Son, of No. 11,
Wellington Street, Strand, in the County of Middlesex, Patent Agent,
send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Fourth day of March, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy, in the thirty-third
year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and
grant unto me, the said William Edward Gedge, Her special licence that
I, the said William Edward Gedge, my exccutors, administrators, and
assigns, or such others as I, the said William Edward Gedge, my
executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any time agree with,
and no others, from time to time and at all times thercafter 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 "AN
IMPROVED APPARATUS FOR SUBCUTANEOUS EXTRACTIONS AND INJECTIONS," a com-
munication to me from abroad by Georges Dieulafoy, of 39, Faubourg
St. Martin, Paris, France, upon the condition (amongst others) that I,
the said William Edward Gedge, my executors or administrators, by an

page_text: 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 William Edward Gedge, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same
is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and
by the following statement, reference being had to the accompanying
Sheet of Drawing, and to the figures and letters of reference placed
thereon:-
The apparatus the subject of this Invention will be found of great
service to medical science for all subcutaneous operations. With this
apparatus, termed by the Inventor "a pneumatic aspirator," it is easy
to penetrate with impunity into the depth of the tissues without fear of
injuring the most delicate organs, to there discover serous, purulent,
hematic, or urinous collections, and to ascertain by this exploration
whether surgical intervention is useful, urgent, or hurtful. It is also
intended to be used for producing local anesthesis more rapidly than by
the means hitherto known and used.
This "aspirator" is composed of a pump barrel, to which are fixed two
short tubes or cannula joints (P, G, Fig. 1), each provided with a tap,
and having an inner screw thread at their ends to permit the fixing on
of a trocar or of an ordinary cannula.
In the above-mentioned cases of subcutaneous explorations the
cannula joint P is fitted with a trocar cannula, as at Fig. 2, but of any
required length. It will be observed that the end of this cannula is
pierced with several holes to prevent obstruction, and after its intro-
duction into the part to be explored it will only be necessary to create a
vacuum in the barrel to bring into it the matter sought for.
In case of continuous punction an ordinary cannula joint will be fitted
to the cannula joint G, and when the barrel of the instrument is filled
with the matter to be ejected the tap of the cannula joint P will bo
closed, that of the cannula joint G opened, and its contents forced out.
This operation may be repeated as often as may be required without
displacement of the apparatus.

page_text: To transform the "aspirator" into an ejector all that is required is to
fit it with an ordinary trocar cannula, that is to say, a cannula having
but a single opening near its end, as at Figure 3. This cannula will
then be introduced into the part to be injected, care being had to keep
the tap on P closed, the annula G will be plunged into the liquid to
be injected, the tap on G will be opened, the liquid will then be sucked
into the barrel, the tap on G closed, that on P opened, the liquid
injected, and so on.
When it is desired to use this instrument for local anesthesis an
ordinary cannula will be fitted on to P, care being taken that the
extremity of this cannula is pierced with as small a hole as possible.
The barrel of the instrument will be filled with ether, and the time
indispensable for emptying it on to the parts to be treated will suffice
for the production of complete ancesthesis. The piston rod of this
aspirator" may be graduated by means of a screw thread and a nut to
determine its stroke, and on the other hand to establish a proportion or
dosing whether for extraction or injection. By a special arrangement
of the piston rod the vacuum may be maintained in the pump barrel
long enough to permit the liquid which is to be sucked in to enter it
by the simple effect of the vacuum. The vacuum being obtained by the
simple traction of the piston rod, the question remains how to preserve
it, and for this purpose a notch is made in the lower part of the piston
rod and a catch in the cover of the pump barrel; when the rod has
been drawn out to the full extent it is only requisite to give it a slight
turn to place the notch on the catch, and thus hold the rod, as at
Fig. 4. The suction or aspiration ." then takes place simply under
the influence of atmospheric pressure whether it has for object the
introduction into the barrel of a subcutaneous liquid or the injection of
a medicinal liquid.
"
These various operations may be effected without withdrawing the
trocar from the wound, and consequently without inflicting this pain, an
immense result when it is considered that it has hitherto been necessary
to withdraw it at each operation, or at least at each part of the operation.
For further security a flexible tube is placed between the "aspirator'
and the cannula, whereby the operator is enabled to manœuvre the
instrument in every possible way without disturbing the cannula
"

page_text: The principle of the subcutaneous "pneumatic aspirator" rests upon
two points, which are,―
1º. The fineness and the length of the needles or cannulas.
2°. The application of a preliminary vacuum.
The fineness and the length of the needles permit passage through the 5
most deeply seated organs without fear of accident, but the really
essential point is the application of a preliminary vacuum. The
"aspirator" becomes by this device a real pneumatic machine or air
pump; thus the tissues to be explored are traversed with a needle
carrying the vacuum with it, and directly a collection of fluid is met 1
with in its passage this liquid is seen to precipitate itself into the glass
pump barrel.
To transform the "aspirator" into an air pump it has sufficed to make
a notch along the piston rod to stop it at the top of its stroke. The same
object might be attained by many other means, but the principle and 1
the method would be in nowise modified.
Having now described the nature of the said Invention communicated
to me as aforesaid, I desire it to be understood that although it is
preferred that the barrel of the apparatus be of glass, that this and the
other parts of the apparatus may be of any suitable material, that the 2
dimensions may vary at will, and that what I claim as novel and
secured to me by the herein-before in part recited Letters Patent is,
the application of the preliminary vacuum, substantially as and for the
purposes herein-before set forth.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Edward Gedge, have 2
hereunto set my hand and seal, this Thirtieth day of August, in
the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy.