Improvements in Operating Tables
Year: 1898

page_text: Date of Application, 15th Oct., 1898
Complete Specification Left, 14th July, 1899-Accepted, 26th Aug.,
1899
We, GEORGE GARDINER, Architect, of 1, Northmoor Road, and JAMES HARDIE
MCLEAN, Engineer, of 58, Woodstock Road, both in the City of Oxford, do hereby
declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:
The object of this invention is to facilitate the operating on patients. For
this purpose we arrange a table on which the patient is placed. At the head and
feet of same are extensions or flaps which can be raised or lowered so that the
patient's head and feet can be put in any desired position.
Immediately underneath the table is placed hot water tanks or receptacles.
These are composed of brass copper or other metallic material and made to draw
out so that they can be easily filled and cleaned.
These tanks are filled with hot water and their object is to maintain the
temperature of the patient. The whole is mounted on three or four wheels
attached to the legs of the table. The wheels or castors are fitted with india
rubber tyres, solid or pneumatic.
A lever is connected to the two front wheels, or in some cases a single wheel
placed beween the two legs. This lever raises the table from the floor, so that
it will stand still or be moved about at will. By the simple operation of raising
or lowering the handle, the operating table can be held steady for the operator
or allowed to be moved about at will for the convenience of conveying patients
to and from the wards with the least possible delay.
The flaps or extensions of the table have several dowels, projections or notches
at the back into which a skeleton frame can be placed, so that these flaps can be
raised or lowered above or below the level of the table and held in any desired
position by means of the engagement of the skeleton frame with the dowels, or
notches on the back, the object of these flaps being to facilitate the position of the
patient's head or feet at the operator's will.
"
1
1900
GEO. GARDINER,
JAMES HARDIE MCLEAN.
Improvements in Operating Tables.
We, GEORGE GARDINER, Architect, of 1, Northmoor Road, and JAMES HARDIE
MCLEAN, Engineer, of 58, Woodstock Road, both in the City of Oxford, do hereby
declare the nature of this invention and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement:-
The object of this invention is to facilitate the operating on patients. Our
improvements in operating tables for effecting this object are illustrated in the
drawings annexed. Figure 1 is a side elevation of the operating table. Figure 2

page_text: is a back end elevation. Figure 3 a part front end elevation and Figure 4 a side
elevation of the front castor wheel and lifting lever.
A is a table on which the patient is to be placed a mattress being placed between
the patient and the table. The table is preferably made entirely of metal with
the exception of the rubber tyres of the wheels so that it can readily be kept
thoroughly clean which is very important-a water hose can be turned on to it
to clean it if necessary without doing it any harm.
At the head and foot of the table are extensions or flaps B which can be raised
and lowered so that the patients head and feet can be put in any desired position.
The metal frame forming the upper part of the table is divided into compart-
ments (the drawing shews it divided into three compartments) into which hot
water receptacles C can be slipped much in the same way as a drawer can be
slipped into a desk the frame being formed with ledges for the sides of the
receptacles to rest on. These receptacles are composed of brass copper or other
metal and are formed with an inlet D at one corner through which they can be
filled or emptied. The object of these hot water receptacles is to be able to main-
tain the temperature of the patient while undergoing a long and serious operation.
The table is mounted on castor or other wheels fitted with india rubber tyres
solid or pneumatic-preferably two wheels at the back on a fixed spindle E and one
at the front which can be raised or lowered relatively to the surface of the table.
The ends of the front legs of the table are also fitted with india rubber pads. A
lever is connected to the vertical spindle by which the front wheel (or it might
be wheels) is carried-by it either the front legs of the table or the front castor
wheel can be lifted from the floor. Thus by the simple operation of raising or
lowering the handle of the lever the operating table can either be held steady
during an operation by reason of its front legs being allowed to rest on the
ground or can be supported entirely on wheels so that it can be moved about
readily for conveying patients to and from the wards of a hospital with the least
possible delay. This is a very important feature of the invention. It is obvious
that in place of raising and lowering a wheel or wheels the legs might be formed
with extension pieces which could be raised or lowered to attain the same result.
I however prefer to make one or more of the wheels movable as above described.
Any suitable arrangement of catches may be employed for retaining the flaps
or extensions B at the angles required. In the drawing the flaps or extensions are
shewn to have two rows of pins G projecting downwards from them with some or
other of which a movable strut or frame H can be made to engage according to
the angle required. When the flaps are not in use they and the struts hang down
vertically at the ends of the table.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said
invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what
we claim is:-
1. The construction of operating tables substantially as herein before described
and illustrated in the drawings annexed.
2. The construction of operating tables substantially as herein before described
so that they can either be supported entirely on wheels to allow of their being
readily moved from place to place or can be allowed to rest partly or entirely
on legs and thereby held steady during an operation.
3. The construction of operating tables substantially as herein before described
in such way that receptacles for containing hot water can be slipped like drawers
into a position just below the top of the table.
1
1000
GEO.
GARDINER,
J. HARDIE MCLEAN.