NEW INVENTED MACHINE FOR EXERCISING THE JOINTS AND MUSCLES OF THE HUMAN BODY
Year: 1796

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, FRANCIS
LOWNDES, of Saint Paul's Church Yard, in the City of London, Medical
Electrician, send greeting.
WHEREAS His present Majesty King George the Third, by His Letters
Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing date at Westminster,
the Ninth day of September, in the thirty-sixth year of His reign, did grant
unto me, the said Francis Lowndes, my executors, administrators, and assigns,
His special licence, full power, sole privilege, and authority that I, the said
Francis Lowndes, my executors, administrators, and assigns, deputies, servants,
or agents, or such others as I, the said Francis Lowndes, my executors,
admors, or assigns, might at any time agree with, and no others, from time to
time and at all times thereafter during the term of years therein expressed,
should and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and vend my "NEW INVENTED
MACHINE FOR EXERCISING THE JOINTS AND MUSCLES OF THE HUMAN BODY," within
that part of His Majesty's Kingdom of Great Britain, called England, His
Dominion of Wales, and Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, in such manner as to
me, the said Francis Lowndes, my executors, adññiors, and assigns, should
seem meet, and that I, the said Francis Lowndes, should and lawfully might
have and enjoy the whole profit, benefit, and advantage from time to time
coming, accruing, and arising by reason of the said Invention, for and during
the term of years therein mentioned; to hold, exercise, and enjoy the said
licence, powers, privileges, and advantages therein-before granted unto me. the
said Francis Lowndes, my executors. adñiors, and assigns, for and during and

page_text: unto the full end and term of fourteen years from the date thereof; in which
said recited Letters Patent is contained a proviso, that if J, the said Francis
Lowndes, should not particularly describe and ascertain the nature of my said
Invention, and in what manner the same was to be performed, by an instrument
in writing under my hand and scal, and cause the same to be inrolled in His
Majesty's High Court of Chancery within one calendar month after the date
thereof, that then the said recited Letters Patent, and all liberties and
advantages thereby granted, should utterly cense, letermine, and become void,
as in and by the said in part recited Letters Patent, reference being thereunto
lad, will more fully and at large appear.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Francis Lowndes, in compliance with the
said in part recited proviso, do hereby declare that my said new Invention is
of the description composed, constructed, and made in manner and form
following, that is to say:-
Of metals simple or compounded, woods singly or conjunctly with metals
simple or compounded, so constructed and arranged as to give and apply
motion and exercise, voluntary or involuntary, to the limbs, joints, and muscles
of the human body, and that their essential properties depend on the use and
application of cranks, moveable or solid wheels, or fly wheels, treadles, or
treading boards and springs, so constructed and arranged as to produce the
aforesaid effect, and further that the shape, size, figure, arrangement, exten-
sion, abridgment, and component substance, and parts of the said cranks,
wheels, fly wheels, treadles, or treading boards and springs, may be varied
indeterminately as occasion may require, without in the least departing from
the principle or process of action. And I, the said Francis Lowndes, do
hereby further declare that the Figure 1 in the Drawing or Plan hereunto
annexed represents my said Invention, called the Gymnasticon, or machine for
muscular exercise, with its cranks, wheels, fly wheels, treadies, or treading
boards and springs uncovered. The frame may be made of wood or any
other substance, and of any dimensions or figure; its joints held together by
tenons and screws, or any other means most conducive to its strength.
A, A, A, A, are upright pillars or posts, the upper and lower extremities of
which are tenonted into the frames B, B, B, B, and C, C, C, C. The frame
B, B, B, B, may rest ou four or more feet or on its own base. D, D, are
two bars which unite the front and back pillars or posts A, A, A, A,, both with
a view of giving strength to the frame and being otherwise useful in support-
ing the arms of the patient when occasion requires. E, E, are treadles or
treading boards for supporting the fect of the patient; their back extremities
are kept in their placos by hinges or cocks, and centered points annexed to

page_text: the back rail of the frame B, B, B, B, or to the lower extremities of the back
pillars or posts A, A. F, F, are metal cocks inserted into the front extremi-
ties of the treadles E, E; each treadle has two, and the centred screws which
pass through them embrace the cross or lower extremities of the treadle lifters
G, G, so as to admit of easy motion. The upper extremities or heads of the
treadle lifters G, G, are screwed on the rods and kept in their place by stop
nuts. The heads are divided into two parts hollowed out, so as when the
upper parts or caps are screwed down, they completely envelop the eccentric
pivots of the lower cranks I, I, allowing free motion. I, I, are the lower
cranks, whose eccentricity is fixed at no particular distance, as they are made
according to circumstances; their extremities are pivots fitted to run in sockets
or flanches fixed to the front posts A, A. K, K, are the upper cranks, which
are made solid or moveable, and whose eccentricity are fixed at no particular
distances; their pivots likewise run in sockets or flanches, which may be
elevated or depressed, according to circumstances, by slits or holes perforated
through the supporting front posts A, A. L, L, are wooden handles loosely put
on, and are to support the arms of the patient. M, M, are wheels or fly
wheels, with grooves in their edges to admit of a cord or band to put them
both in motion; they have metal sockets or flanches in their centres with
square holes fitted to receive the square ends of the upper and lower cranks,
whose extreme terminations are tapped and furnished with nuts to keep fast
the wheels. N is a handle to give motion to the machine, if necessary. The
Figure 2 represents a section of a crank rod or trundle lifter and treadle
detached from its situation. O is its divided head, with the upper division or
cap screwed down. P, P, is a spring or spring board, destined to give action
to the joints and muscles of the feet. The front or too extremities of these
spring boards are held by hinges or cocks and centred points fixed to each of
the treadle boards E, E; their back or heel extremities are left loose to
admit of elevation when the springs are compressed (by the floor or any other
means employed) by the descent of the treadles E, E. The Figure 3
represents a section of an upper socket or flanch for supporting the upper
cranks K, K, and the manner of attaching them to the front posts A, A.
In witness whereof, I, the said Francis Lowndes, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Seventh day of October, in the thirty-sixth year of
the reign of our Sovereign Lord George the Third, by the grace of
God of Great Britain, France, and Ireland, King, Defender of the
Faith, &c., and in the year of our Lord One thousand seven hundred

page_text: AND BE IT REMEMBERED, that on the same Seventh day of October, in
the year above mentioned, the aforesaid Francis Lowndes came before our
Lord the King in His Chancery, and acknowledged the Specification
aforesaid, and all and every thing therein contained in form above written.
And also the Specification aforesaid was stamped according to the tenor of 5
the Statute in that case made and provided.
Inrolled the Eighth day of October in the voor above writton