US4518A - X czxx czxx - Google Patents

Description

UNrrED STAWENT OFFICE u i JOHN L. SULLIVAN, OF NEv YORK, N. Y.

srrNAL sUrroRTEn.

speeieatienvof Letters Patent No.- 4,518, datedlwa'y 16, ls'aoanntedated November 17 1845;

To all whomt't may concern.'

L. SI'iLIvANof thecity, c.ountyand State of New York, physician, have invented a new andtuseful Improvement inthe Art of Surgery for the Treatment of Spinal Diseases, denominated the Spiral Relief Power, describedV as follows, viz,

The object of this inventionis to combine the mechanic powers so as at once to lift and resist. effectually the weightof the chest` andupper-extremities from and onthe exterior ofthe pelvis,.z'. e., that part ofthe human body constituted of the large and firm bones, which rest on the lower limbs, and. frvom;the middle one of which, the sacrumthe spinalcolumnzrises, in health held balanced. by the muscles ofy equal force on every side.

This apparatus must fit the person who wears it, and therefore it is necessary or convenient to have a model,.that may be cast in plaster, or made in any convenient way: Thereon anelastic vest maybe fitted to receive onto it the parts of the mechanism, as permitting of convenient attachment thereto, in place; it opens before and covers the shoulders, and reaches as low as there is occasion tovcarry the-apparatus; and when applied without the vest, the parts arethe more cushioned.v

The apparatus consists of several parts, and has a basis for the super structure of mechanic powers. Let the basis thereof be composed of a metallic band or bands, to surround and clasp the interior of the pelvis, and better to be made of three parts, A1, A?, A3, lFigure '1, asv affording better hold, the upper one curved over the ilia, cushioned, to bear more, perpendicularly; and all are cushioned or covered with soft leather; and two of'th'em, A1 and A1, unite by a hinge over the sacrum, unless as springs unnecessary to hinge; and also unite forward with a, broader belt to sustain the abdomen (Fig. 2, a) and which fasten and open with thevfront of the vest, at or near the center line thereof, and the bands con stituting the belt, are exactly fitted before being tempered, in order to keep theirshape; and all the other flat pieces of steel herein described, are also tempered.

Thepower subsequently described, is to be received downward upon the backward Beit knownithat Ithesubscriber, JOHN,

end. of` a horizontal lever; on each .side (as a' person stands) exterior to theo-.pelvic belt, a little curved to fit the 'sidesy and vfor strength deeper in the middle than the eX- tremities, and to permit ofa slot-mortise of one or two inchesfin length toreceive its fulcrum, which mayl be a screw pivot through theband A2,.secured by, a nut,`so. as 'to vary the length of the forward parti of the lever The two rear ends of the two levers receive their moving power by two flat bars (c, c) which descend from ayvertical screw (cl d) which screwis about one fourthofa-nV inchl in diameter made with three or four threads, for quick lifting,.rising leftward, which should be in this caseand should be always opposite the curvature ofthe spine. of the-patient (for the reason of the pressure of the-lever asherein subsequently eX- plained) and is made about five inches long, or less, if the sizeof the person requires-it; and it enters into a. hollow cylinder. windlass E) having an internal screw, andfits, diameter is about two fifths of an inch; and its length also about five inches long,.or lessv for some persons; and this cylinderwind'- lass has a small ridge thereon for. the purpose offastening cords thereto; and near'the top thereof is made a mortise, or aperture for a flatbar, about two fifths of aninch up and down, and large enough to receive the lever (F) which-lies flatrto the back. Andv on the head' of the cylinder there-is a small knob (G) to receive and hold the ends ofthe left shoulder band (It 71,) and also one end of forward'in the two plates (o o) which haveunder them' elastic cushions kand between the plates there are two connectingflat spiral springs (a z) and the plates (0 o.) -areshaped to apply their edges to the cartilages ofthe 6th, 7th, 8th and 9th ribs, as these united join to the sternum (or breast bone). And the two rear ends thereof (79 p) fasten to the ridge of the cylinder (c c) having a cushioned plate under and across it, and on either side, to spread its bearing to any projecting ribs in the case (as seen at g g) thus embracing the chest with a belt regulating the effective force of the windlass thereon by the comparative strength of the spiral springs and by a greaterforce in that of the curved side.

To sustain the left shoulder, let there be a brace (r fr) shaped to fit and then `telnpered, or its equivalent support in several jointed pieces on the vest, rising from the pelvic belt or basis to sustain itA from behind as with a cushioned crutch (s s) and then continued under the arm pit, small and round, and also over the shoulder, but Hat, and connected with the other part (Fig. 2, t t) over the leather band which is to loop to it, whenever the leather shoulder band under it, is found to press too much on the muscles, z'. e., the band ties to the brace in front of the shoulder, in several places, and thus transfers the backward pressure to the pelvic band. 4

The lever F, through the mortise of the cylinder E is rolled at its ends to be kept from leaving it, and thereby also to receive a small bar ("0) when charged with the reactive power in order to distribute it up and down, as by the plate (fw w) under 1t, shaped to give the reacting pressure to the dorsal curvature, and sometimes to the lumbar, or to a posterior curvature when either exists alone, for which cases the screw may be (placed or) moved nearer to one shoulder blade than the other.

To operate with this combined apparatus of mechanic powers the patient sitting or standing, and the plate, fw and the bar, o, not being in place, the right end of the lever,

F, is brought outward by the hand, and carried over to the right shoulder blade turning the cylinder, E, half around on the raising screw; the lever is then passed to the right through the mortise, and the same movement is repeated, making one turn; and to be repeated until the requisite force is applied. In this one turn the cylinder windlass will have drawn back the right shoulder, taking off its dragging weight from its muscles connecting with the spine, and the ribs which articulate with the curvature; and will have raised the chest, by drawing on the two chest belts, themselves raised by the male screw in the hollow windlass, and horizontal levers,vthe cord of the one passing under the windlass, the other over it, thus'drawing oppositely onthe cartilages of the ribs, which generally articulate with the vertebrae of the curvaturethat is to say, the force exerted by the windlass on the screw, communicated to the lat eral levers, and rising braces and chest belt, raises the whole chest and upper extremities, while the whole reaction ofthe right eX- tremity of the lever F, is made to press on the whole curvature, as soon as the cushioned plate is put under it conforming thereto; and the bar v,- being replaced in the .end of the lever, and its lower end fastened to the pelvic belt, itpresses on the projecting angles of the ribs, so called, or other part of the back requiring it. And thus the same time and by the same movement being reduced; or if the object be to relieve pressure on the surfaces of caries or ulcerations, the lifting is continual or persisting, as such cases require.

From the descriptlon aforesald of the con- `struction and operation of this machine it is plain, that the lever which works the windlass is the recipient of the force applied, and that the windlass and its internal screw, and the side levers upon which the screw is made to bear, and the chest which those levers are made to bear upward, and the fastenings by `which the windlass is restrained from rising, and the cord and spring to tighten which the windlass draws to itself, constitutes a combined mechanical action from said recipient of the force, through and by said internal screw and said side levers to the chest belt, lifting this upward and through the windlass to the strap around the displaced shoulder drawing this backward and inward, and at the same time the resistance of the lifted chest, and drawn shoulder, react through these mechanical means to and upon the lever reciprocal of the force aforesaid; and the point in the curvature of the spine on which the power end of the recipient lever rests and bears, so that a constant action and reaction is working upon and against the curvature, and the chest, and the shoulder aforesaid, and all concurring to restore the parts displaced to their natural position.

What I claim as my invention' in said machine, is-

The combination together of all the parts following, viz., the combination of thesaid windlass and its lever recipient of the force, the inteinal screw of said windlass, and the levers on which the said male screw bears; the combination of the said side levers themselves; the chest belt, the windlass and its fastenings; and the belt and spring ture and at the same time the lifting of the around the shoulder, and the mode of Workchest to make room for the reduction thereof. 10 ing thesanle togeter; thisame dbeinlg Gol- NeW York, April 14, 1846. structe su stantia y as a oresai ,W ere y 5 the curative force acting and reacting as JN' L' SULLIVAN aforesaid is applied substantially to cure Witnesses: y the disease as aforesaid; by which I eect GEORGE SULLIVAN, the combined action of reducing the curva- D. HOBART.

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