AN IMPROVED SUBSTITUTE FOR SPONGES ESPECIALLY APPLICABLE FOR MEDICAL PURPOSES BUT ADAPTED ALSO FOR ORDINARY USE
Year: 1884

page_text: We JOSEPH SAMPSON GAMGEE of 22 Broad Street Birmingham in the County
of Warwick Consulting Surgeon and HENRY SOLOMON WELLCOME of Snow Hill
Buildings in the City of London Manufacturing Chemist do hereby declare the
nature of our said invention for AN IMPROVED SUBSTITUTE FOR SPONGES ESPECIALLY
APPLICABLE FOR MEDICAL PURPOSES BUT ADAPTED ALSO FOR ORDINARY USE, to
be as follows:-
This Invention relates to improvements on the invention patented by Sampson
Gamgee dated the 24th day of August 1883 and numbered 4107 and has mainly
for its object to provide a substitute for sponges for hospital use, and generally for
use in medical and surgical cases, or cases of illness of any kind, and for the
preservation of health. For this purpose we form an absorbent elastic ball or pad
from fibre, and cotton wool, and place in the centre thereof a capsule, or a salt or
powder or other medical or antiseptic substance capable of being broken or dis-
solving or otherwise permeating the ball or pad when being used, the whole being
enclosed in a bag of woven gauze or other openwork fabric.
The inner layer or centre of the ball or pad which contains the capsule or other
medical or antiseptic substance is preferably of cotton wool and this is surrounded
by a coarser fibre (for example coarse cocoa nut fibre) around this a layer or layers
of cotton wool or finer fibre or fine threads cut from wood then again a layer of
cotton wool and outside this a layer of finer wood fibre, hemp or other elastic
substance, and an outermost layer of cotton wool, the whole enclosed and secured
in a bag of gauze or such like openwork fabric. The cotton wool used should be
cotton wool free from grease so that it may readily absorb liquid and be quite pure
It will be quite evident that the number of concentric layers may be varied to meet
the size or purpose for which the ball or pad is to be employed as by experiment
we find that good results are obtained from a centre of cotton wool surrounded by
a layer of coarse cocoa nut fibre and this by a layer of tiner fibre which in its turn
is surrounded by a layer of fine cotton wool and the whole enclosed in a gauze bag
Artificial sponges made in this way can be produced at so small a cost that they
may be destroyed by burning after being once used to avoid possibility of
infection under any and all circumstances. They may also be used in the same

page_text: way as ordinary sponges for they will take up a larger volume of liquid and this
by squeezing may in great part bo expressed from them and for this purpose the
medical or antiseptic substance will of course not be required. They can also
very advantageously be used as surgical tissues for many medical and surgical
purposes with or without antiseptic or other medication, as dressings or pads for
health or comfort.
We are aware that it has been proposed to form bats or pads of fibrous materials
encased in an open work bag or covering and at times provided with a waterproof
backing but such bats or pads have little or no elastic properties and when
moistened "mat" and become useless for the purposes for which our sponges aro
adapted.

page_text: L
We, JOSEPH SAMPSON GAMGEE of 22 Broad Street Birmingham in the County
of Warwick Consulting Surgeon and HENRY SOLOMON WELLCOME of Snow Hill
Buildings in the City of London Manufacturing Chemist, do hereby declare the
nature of our said invention for AN IMPROVED SUBSTITUTE FOR SPONGES
ESPECIALLY APPLICABLE FOR MEDICAL PURPOSES BUT ADAPTED ALSO FOR
ORDINARY USE, and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly
described and ascertained in and by the following statement :-
This invention relates to improvements on the invention patented by Sampson
Gamgee dated the 24th day of August 1883 and numbered 4107 and has mainly
for its object to provide a substitute for sponges for hospital use and generally for
use in medical and surgical cases, or cases of illness of any kind, and for the
preservation of health. For this purpose we form an absorbent elastic ball or pad
from fibre, and cotton wool, and place in the centre thereof a capsule, or a salt or
powder or other medical or antiseptic substance capable of being broken or
dissolving or otherwise permeating the ball or pad when being used the whole
being enclosed in a bag of woven gauze or other open work fabric.
The inner layer or centre of the ball or pad which contains the capsule or other
medical or antiseptic substance is preferably of cotton wool and this is surrounded
by a coarser fibre (for example coarse cocoa nut fibre) around this a layer or layers
of cotton wool or finer fibre or fine threads cut from wood, then again a layer of
cotton wool and outside this a layer of finer wood fibre, hemp or other clastic sub-
stance, and an outermost layer of cotton wool, the whole enclosed and secured in a
bag of gauze or such like open-work fabric. The cotton wool used should be cotton
wool free from grease so that it may readily absorb liquid and be quite pure It
will be quite evident that the number of concentric layers may be varied to meet
the size or purpose for which the ball or pad is to be employed as by experiment we
find that good results are obtained from a centre of cotton wool surrounded by a
layer of coarse cocoa nut fibre and this by a layer of finer fibre which in its turn is
surrounded by a layer of fine cotton-wool and the whole enclosed in a gauze bag.
Artificial sponges made in this way can be produced at so small a cost that they
may be destroyed by burning after being once used to avoid possibility of infection
under any and all circumstances. They may also be used in the same way as ordinary
sponges for they will take up a large volume of liquid and this by squeezing may
in great part be expressed from them and for this purpose the medical or antiseptic
substance will of course not be required. They can also very advantageously be
used as surgical tissues for many medical and surgical purposes with or without
antiseptic or other medication as dressings or pads for health or comfort. We are
aware that it has been proposed to form bats or pads of fibrous material encased in
an open work bag or covering and at times provided with a waterproof backing
but such bats or pads have little or no elastic properties and when moistened "mat
and become useless for the purposes for which our sponges are adapted.
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—
The improved substitute for sponges especially applicable for medical purposes
but adapted also for ordinary use, said substitute being formed of two or more
concentric layers of coarse or elastic fibre and cotton wool enclosed in an open work
bag or covering substantially as described.

page_text: 2nd The improved substitute for sponges especially applicable for medical pur-
poses but adapted also for ordinary use said substitute being formed of two or
more concentric layers of coarse or clastic fibre and cotton wool surrounding a
capsule salt powder or other medical or antiseptic substance the whole being
enclosed in an open work bag or covering substantially as described.
Dated this twenty third day of December 1884.
PHILIP M. JUSTICE,
Applicants' Agent.