Untitled record

Application filed September 30,1895. Serial No. 564.106, (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, Fletcher Wellington Penhall, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Morton, Renville county, 5 State of Minnesota, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Speculums; aud my preferred manner of carrying out the invention is set forth in the following full, clear, and exact description., terminating with io claims particularly specifying the novelty.

This invention relates to surgery, and more especially to that class of devices known as “speculums; ” and the object of the same is to produce an improved instrument by the use 15 of which a tampon may be introduced into the vaginal cavity of a female patient.

To this end the invention consists in an improved construction of the speculum and of the joint between the two members there20 of, all as hereinafter more fully described and claimed, and as illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein—

Figure 1 is a plan view of the complete device with its parts in the positions they 25 assume in operation. Fig. 2 is a plan view of the two members of the speculum slightly separated. Fig. 3 is a similar view of a tube and tampon which may be used in connection with this speculum. Fig. 4 is a cross30 section through the hinge or joint between the members of the speculum.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, the letters W W' indicate, respectively, the leaves, blades, or wings of a speculum, which 35 are of about the shape shown in section and form a conical body tapering slightly toward the end E. As seen in Fig. 4, these wings curve upward from their rear sides to the upper edges e, which, when the device is 40 closed, almost or quite make contact with each other, and the lower ends of these edges are cut away or beveled off, as at w, for a purpose to appear below. The lower ends of the lower sides of the wings are continued in 45 handles H LI', the former of which has a pin or stud li rising from its lower end, while the latter of which has a lateral arm H² projecting toward the first handle and provided with a number of holes 7i', adapted to engage the 50 pin h. Each wing with its handle is formed of one piece of metal, preferably highly polished or nickeled. The joint between these two members consists of two arms A A', projecting, respectively, toward each other, the arm A' lying upon the arm A and having a 55 rounded outer end a, adapted to pass under a raised lip L, cut out of and struck up from the body of the left wing W. The outer end of the left arm Abas an L-shaped projection, which first rises from the arm and then pro- 6c jects outwardly, as best seen in Fig. 4, and the right arm A' is provided with an elongated slot J', of a size and shape to receive the top of the projection J when the two members are placed together in such position 65 that their handles Η H' cross each other. Thus, in order to connect the members, the handle H' is laid across that lettered H, the tip of the projection J is passed into the slot J' until the arms A A' contact, and the two 70 members are then turned around the joint thus formed until the outer end a of the arm A' passes under the lip L, and at this time the upper end of the projection J will assist the lip L in holding the two members from 75 dislocation, and the engagement of one of the holes h' with the pin h will bold the wings when separated the desired distance.

Referring now to Fig. 3, wherein is shown a device which may be used in connection 80 with the speculum above described, the letter T designates a tampon, as of raw cotton or other suitable material, around which is tied a string S withits ends depending therefrom, as shown. R is a tube, preferably- of hard 85 rubber, about a quarter of an inch in outside diameter and six inches or more in length, and in one side of the lower end of this tube is formed a V-shaped notch V.

In the use of this device one or more tarn- 90 pons are made and saturated with the proper medicaments, after which their strings are passed down through the tube R, as seen in Fig. 1. The two members of the speculum, having first been boiled for the sake of Clean- 95 liness, are then connected at their joint and the wings closed together. The tube R, carrying the tampon at its upper end, is.then inserted within the speculum, and the latter is passed into the parts to be treated. The arm 100 H² is then raised slightly, so as to disengage the outermost hole h' from the pin h, and the two handles are pressed together and held in

I this position (see Fig. 1) by the engagement

563,236 of the pin in one of the holes. The speculum being held in place by one hand, the tubeR with the tampon is then pressed farther upward until the latter is at the proper point, 5 when the strings can be disengaged from the notch V to leave the tampon exactly in proper position; or, the tube being held in place/ the speculum may then be pressed to the rear, so that the tube passes between the two cutio away portions w and out of the speculum, and the latter may then be completely withdrawn and laid aside. Thereafter the string may be disengaged from the notch and the tube withdrawn, leaving the tampon in place 15 or leaving several tampons in position. After using the speculum, the members are again folded so that the handle H' stands obliquely across that lettered H and the tip a of the arm A' has passed out from under the lip L.

Then the slot J' can be disengaged from the projection J and the two members separated and cleaned.

It will be obvious that this device may be used by a comparatively inexperienced per25 son without injury to the patient, and that the use of the tube R permits the tampon to be firmly and rigidly held in position during the removal of the speculum.

The device is preferable to the well-known 30 method of introducing medicines by means of capsules, because the latter are so liable to become displaced, and at any rate the capsule when dissolved leaves a glutinous coating over the very surface it is desired to be 35 acted upon by the local medicine, and thus delays or prevents absorption. With my device it will be obvious that the saturated tampon has an immediate and beneficial effect.

Although I have not illustrated it, it will 40 be clear that the one tube could hold several tampons,which maybe left at.differentposi tions, as thought advisable, and the use of the tube R with its notch (or with more than one notch) will greatly facilitate this; or, while 45 the speculum is in place, one tampon can be introduced, then the tube withdrawn and threaded with another tampon, arid that one’ introduced, and in this manner several can be put in position one after another; for in50 stance, first a medicated tampon and next a a plain tampon for supporting and retaining' the first one in position and acting in the na-: ture of a packing therefor. ;

The parts of the device are of the proper or· 55· preferred sizes, shapes, proportions, and ma-i terials, and considerable change in the spccific details may be made without departing from the spirit of my invention. !

I do not confine myself to the use of the’ 60 tube and tampon herein described and shown J although I prefer it, and I reserve the right to employ any other tampon and any other instrument for inserting it through the improved speculum .herein described and claimed. 65