A. NEW OR IMPROVED SURGICAL INSTRUMENT FOR THE TREATMENT OF PHIMOSIS, WITHOUT OPERATION BY CUTTING
Year: 1884

page_text: I WILLIAM STEPHENSON RICHMOND of Saint Bartholomew's Hospital in the City
of London, Gentleman do hereby declare the nature of said Invention for "A. NEW
OR IMPROVED SURGICAL INSTRUMENT FOR THE TREATMENT OF PHIMOSIS, WITHOUT
OPERATION BY CUTTING" to be as follows:-
The object of this Invention is to produce an instrument particularly applicable
for stretching the constricted prepuce of the penis in cases of phimosis without
operation by cutting which instrument is simple in construction, comparatively
easy of application and very effective in its action.
According to my Invention the instrument is composed of two rods or bars one
is a plain rod and the other tuning fork shape, at the upper ends preferably bent
to an angle, so that the top ends may when required be made to approach or touch
one another; the upper ends of these rods or bars are fitted with sockets for each
to receive and hold a blade which should or may be of the form or shape of the
gland and the blades are secured to the rods or bars by screws or by other
approved means; instead of the socket being on the rod it may be on the shank
of the blade and the holding screw pass through same so that when the blade is
removed from its rod the socket and adjusting screw act as handles for the blades
and for the purposes hereafter referred to. By making the blades to take off I am
able to change one for another when required according to the state of the prepuce.
On one of the limbs of the rod I have a slide and I connect thereto preferably by
a fork or in any other convenient manner a horizontal rod which is screw threaded
and passes through a slot in the opposite limb (the tuning fork) as well as through
a nut and by turning the latter one way or the other the two bars may be brought
closer to or further from one another while the hinged fork allows for angular
adjustment of the horizontal rod which is retained in position on the vertical rod
on which it can slide when required by a set screw. To the lower end of the same
vertical rod there is jointed a second horizontal rod similar to the other which also
passes through the tuning fork bar and carries a nut as in the previous case, in this
way the position of the lower end of the first bar can be regulated and adjusted.
By these means the position of the vertical rods with regard to one another can be
regulated and adjusted with the greatest nicety, whether it be required to open or

page_text: close the rods or bars parallel to one another or at any angle. The lower end of
the tuning fork rod is provided with a spring clip or other suitable fastening so
that the lower horizontal rod may be removed therefrom when required.
To use the instrument for the treatment of phimosis the blades having been
removed from the instrument are introduced separately between the glands and
foreskin, one blade on each side, the rods are then fitted and fixed on to the blades
and by means of the screw or screws on the horizontal rod or rods are separated to
the desired extent. The constriction will thus be attacked in whatever part of the
foreskin it is situate.
Attempts have heretofore been made to dilate the prepuce by means of ordinary
dressing forceps but it bas invariably been found that they are very difficult to
introduce and even if introduced are very inadequate dilators because when the
forceps are opened the narrow constricted part of the prepuce slides or slips up to
the narrow part of the forceps, that is the joint, and the pressure is thus applied to
the walls of the foreskin rather than to the constricted part, whereas by my
invention the blades can be placed in almost any position relatively to one another
by means of the horizontal screw bars and slides before described and the difficulties
above referred to are entirely overcome.

page_text: I WILLIAM STEPHENSON RICHMOND of Saint Bartholomew's Hospital in the City
of London Gentleman do hereby declare the nature of said invention for "A NEW
OR IMPROVED SURGICAL INSTRUMENT FOR THE TREATMENT OF PHIMOSIS WITHOUT
OPERATION BY CUTTING and in what manner the same is to be performed to be
particularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement :-
"
The object of this Invention is to produce an instrument particularly applicable
for stretching the constricted prepuce of the penis in cases of Phimosis without
operation by cutting which instrument is simple in construction, comparatively oasy
of application, and very effective in its action.
The accompanying drawings fully illustrate the manner in which I carry my
Invention into effect. Figure 1 is a view in side elevation of this new or improved
surgical instrument. Figure 2 is an end view of same Figure 3 is a vertical cross
section through the line x y and Figure 4 is a similar view through the line x¹ y¹
both of Figure 1.
Similar letters of reference refer to like parts in all the Figures.
According to my invention the instrument is composed of two rods or bars a, b,
one a is a plain rod and the other b tuning fork shape and at the upper ends
preferably bent to an angle as shown in the drawings so that the top ends may
when required be made to approach or touch one another; the upper ends of these
rods or bars a and b are fitted with sockets for each to receive and hold a blade c
which should or may be of the form or shape of the gland and the blades c are
screwed to the rods or bars by screws & or by other approved means: instead of
the socket e being on the rod it may be on the shank of the blade as here shown
and the holding screw d pass through same so that when the blade c is removed
from its rod a or b the socket e and adjusting screw d act as handles for the blades
and for the purposes hereafter referred to. By making the blades c to take off I ain
able to change one for another when required according to the state of the prepuce.
On one of the limbs viz. on the rod a I have a slide f and I connect thereto
preferably by a fork g or in any other convenient manner a horizontal rod h which
is screw-threaded as shown and passes through a nut i working in a slot j (with
collars on each side) in the opposite limb b and by turning this nut i one way or
the other the two bars a and b.may be brought closer to or further from one another
while the hinged fork g allows for angular adjustment of the horizontal rod h which
is retained in position on the vertical rod a on which it can slide and is secured
when required by a set screw f'. To the lower end of the same vertical rod a there
is jointed a second horizontal rod h'similar to the other which also passes through
the tuning fork bar b and carries a nut i' as in the previous case: in this way the
position of the lower end of the first bar a can be regulated and adjusted. By
these means the position of the vertical rods a and b with regard to one another
can be regulated and adjusted with the greatest nicety whether it be required to
open or close the rods or bars a and b parallel to one another or at any angle. The

page_text: lower end of the tuning fork rod b is provided with a spring clip 6' or other suitable
fastening so that the lower horizontal rod h¹ may be removed therefrom when
required.
To use the instrument for the treatment of Phimosis the blades c having been
removed from the instrument are introduced separately between the glands and
foreskin one blade on each side, the rods a b are then fitted and fixed on to the
blades cand by means of the screw or screws i i¹ on the horizontal rod or rods h¹²
are separated to the desired extent. The constriction. will thus be attacked in
whatever part of the foreskin it is situate.
Attempts have heretofore been made to dilate the prepuse by means of ordinary
dressing forceps but it has invariably been found that they are very difficult to
introduce and even if introduced are very inadequate dilators because when the
forceps are opened the narrow constricted part of the prepuce slides or slips up to
the narrow part of the forceps that is the joint and the pressure is thus applied to
the walls of the foreskin rather than to the constricted part whereas by my
invention the blades can be placed in almost any position relatively to one another
by means of the horizontal screw bars and slides before described and the
difficulties above referred to are entirely overcome.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of said Invention
and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I claim is
The new or improved surgical instrument for the treatment of Phimoses without
operation by cutting whereby the limbs a and b carrying the blades c are caused
to work parallel or at an angle to one another by the operation of screws and nuts
all substantially as and for the purposes set forth.
Data L
Th
....