CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR THE SUPPORT OF THE HUMAN BODY, AND THE CORRECTION OF CURVATURES AND OTHER DISTORTIONS OF THE SPINE OF THE HUMAN BODY
Year: 1840

page_text: KINGDON'S SPECIFICATION.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, RICHARD
KINGDON, of Gothic House, Stockwell, in the County of Surrey, Surgeon,
send greeting.
WHEREAS Her present most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by
Iler Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing date at
Westminster, the Twenty-fifth day of February, in the third year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the
said Richard Kingdon, Her especial licence that I, the said Richard Kingdon,
my exors, admors, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Richard Kingdon,
my exors, admors, or assigns, should at any time agree with, and no others,
from time to time and at all times during the term of years therein expressed,
should and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and vend, within England,
Wales, and the Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, my Invention of "CERTAIN
IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR THE SUPPORT OF THE HUMAN BODY, AND THE
CORRECTION OF CURVATURES AND OTHER DISTORTIONS OF THE SPINE OF THE HUMAN
BODY;" in which said Letters Patent is contained a proviso, obliging me, the
said Richard Kingdon, by an instrument in writing under my hand and
seal, particularly to describe and ascertain the nature of my said Invention,
and in what manner the same is to be performed, and to cause the same to
be enrolled in Her said Majesty's High Court of Chancery within six calendar
months next and immediately after the date of the said recited Letters Patent,
as in and by the same, reference being thereunto had, will more full and at
large appear.

page_text: NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, 1, the said
Richard Kingdon, do hereby declare the nature of my said Invention to consist,
first, in two crutches or side supports under the arms, and the mode of
fixing the same; and, secondly, in doing away with the leather belt heretofore
worn round the waist, and to which back supports to the spine have heretofore
fastened, and in fixing the same by various new contrivances to stays such
as are usually worn by females.
And in further compliance with the said proviso, I, the said Richard King-
don, do hereby describe the manner in which my said Invention is to be
performed by the following statement thereof, reference being had to the
Drawing annexed, and to the figures and letters marked thereon, it being only
necessary to observe that similar letters are used to denote similar parts in all
the Figures.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING.
Figures and 2 represent a front and back view of a pair of stays fitted
with my said side supports or crutches. In Figue 1, A, A, are stays made
of strong jean; B is an elastic indian-rubber webbing let into the front to
allow the chest to expand when the lungs are inflated or otherwise; C, C, are
my two crutches; and D, D, are two straps crossing below the bosom and
buckling to the two buckles E, E, in order to aid in keeping the crutches
upright, These buckles E, E, are fastened to the two steel busks or
ribs F, F, which are sewed into the stays for the purpose. The lower end of
each crutch is supported on a stud or pin G, which rises from the centre of
a pad H, which pad is sewn into the stays so as to lie on the hips and take
the pressure of the crutch. In Figure 2, which is the back view, I, J, K,
are straps crossing the backs in various directions, and the position of which
will of course be varied, according to the curvature of the spine in each
particular case of application; these last-mentioned straps also aid in keeping
the crutches in their true position. Figure 3 is a separate and front view of
the crutch and its adjusting socket N, drawn to a larger scale; L is the part
that goes under the arm and moves on the pivot joint M. The tongue piece
which descends from the said pivot joint is pierced with holes, as shewn in
the separate view, Figure 4. These holes are for the purposes of adjustment
to the proper height, there being a spring with a stud in it at the back of the
socket N, which stud pulls out from or takes into these last-mentioned holes
at pleasure. This spring is shewn at Figure 5, in a section taken on a line
from a to b in Figure 3, and is important for the proper adjustment of the
crutch. Figure 6 is a side view of the socket N and its support rod O,
shewing the studs marked P for fastening the back straps to; and Figure 7

page_text: is a separate and enlarged view of the hip pad H, with its stud or pin G in
the centre. Figure 8 is a back view of stays to which my crutches are fixed,
shewing also an ordinary back bar Q, which it will be seen, instead of having
a leather belt to fix it to, as is usual, is fastened to the stays as follows:-Two
steel busks or bars being introduced and sewn firmly into the stays at R and S,
one end T of the adjusting plate T, V, is rivetted to the steel bar R, while
the notches at the end V of the said adjusting plate take on to two studs
rivetted firmly into the other steel bar S; these steel bars are shewn at
Figures 9 and 10, one being a front and the other a side view of the same.
Figure 11 is a front view of Figure 8, merely to shew an additional buckle W,
which is very useful to hold one end of the broad belt m, the other end of
which belt m is fastened to the studs of the back bar, and which is fastened
to the steel busk which passes down the front of the stays. Figure 12 is
only an elevation of the ordinary back bar on an enlarged scale.
Now whereas I claim as my Invention, first, the two crutches C, C,
with their sockets N, and support bars O, with the studs P on the same, and
also the mode of adjusting the same, and fixing them in stays and supporting
them on the hips by the pad H and stud G, as likewise the bars F, F, and
buckles E, E; and, secondly, I claim the manner of fixing the ordinary
adjusting back bar support to stays by means of the steel bars R and S, and
the rivets and studs in the same, as also the front buckle W, fixed to the
front busk, by which second improvement I am enabled to do without the
ordinary belt to which these back bars have heretofore been fastened. And
such my Invention being to the best of my knowledge and belief entirely
new, and never before used within that part of Her said Majesty's United
Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland called England, Her Dominion of
Wales, or Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, I do hereby declare this to be my
Specification of the same, ant that I do verily believe this my said Specification
doth comply in all respects fully and without reserve or disguise with the
proviso in the herein-before in part recited. Letters Patent contained
wherefore I hereby claim to maintain exclusive right and privilege to my
said Invention.
In witness whereof, I have hereunto set my hand and seal, this Twenty-
fifth day of August, One thousand eight hundred and forty.
RICH (L.S.) KINGDON.

page_text: AND BE IT REMEMBERED, that on the Twenty-fifth day of August,
in the year of our Lord 1840, the aforesaid Richard Kingdon came before
our said Lady the Queen in Her Chancery, and acknowledged the Specification
aforesaid, and all and every thing therein contained and specified, in form
above written. And also the Specification aforesaid was stamped according
to the tenor of the Statute made for that purpose.
Inrolled the Twenty-fifth day of August, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and forty.
Inrolled the Twenty-fifth day of August, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and forty.