perineal band; and the one half may be placed at any angle with the other to suit the various bends of the body at the hip-joint, by alterations in the spring-catch, which locks the joint seen at its centre.

The required length for the leg can be secured by alterations effected in the position of the slides of the leg-pieces (33); by loosening the finger-screws near to the figures (33); and the breadth by similar alterations in the screws and slides at b and c. The joint (d), seen in the right-hand leg-piece of the knee, is to allow of the flexing and extending of the knee; and the spring-catch, seen a little below the letter (d), is used to fix the joint by placing the catch in the small hole in front of the letter (d), which there locks into corresponding holes in the other part of the leg-piece, entering into the composition of the joint.

The form and size of each piece of the splint have been most carefully determined by experimental observation, in order that the whole of the splint may be capable of being accurately adjusted, to suit the limbs of children or men, and the requirements of their varied fractures and dislocations.

As seen in the preceding woodcut, the splint resembles the fracturebed of Mr. Greenhow, and is more especially adapted for the treatment of bad cases of compound or complicated fractures or dislocations of the leg, ankle, or thigh. Several of such cases have already been most successfully treated upon it.

The interval between the leg-pieces is filled up by strips of bandage or india-rubber sheeting, as seen in the cut; one or more can be removed to allow of the dressing of the wound of a compound fracture, without disturbing the position of the limb in the slightest. This is found an immense advantage over the ordinary splints in the treatment of cases where the wound is large or extends round the limb; for by no other contrivance is it possible to cleanse or dress the wound, without considerable disturbance of the bandages, splints, and even of the limb itself, with consequent rubbing together or displacement of the ends of the bones, and accompanying pain and ill-effects to the patient.

The limb lies most securely upon the splint, as upon all others, when the cushions or paddings are thin; and where there is a compound fracture of the leg, it is by far the best plan to support the wounded part of the limb simply on the strips of bandage, as the dressing can be effected daily, or oftener, if necessary, with the most perfect ease, by simply withdrawing the pieces of bandage and thus exposing the whole circumference of the limb

A scoop, placed under the splint at the injured part, will also receive the discharge escaping from beneath the dressings through the intervals between the strips of bandage, thus preserving the bed and clothes clean and wholesome even in the worst case.

When the foot of the patient is securely fixed to the foot-piece

any amount of extension can be made by loosening the finger-screws at (33), fixing the thigh-part of the splint to which the perineal band is affixed (for the purpose of counter-extension) and drawing out the slides of the leg-pieces by traction at the foot, and thus extending the leg. When the requisite extension is made, the whole can be securely fixed by again tightening the grasp of the screws. In my original splint the extension was effected by a suitable extending-screw attached to the foot-piece; but I found in practice, that it complicated, added greatly to the expense, and offered no compensating advantages over that already described, so that I abandoned it, as well as some other screws which were fixed to the slides at b and c, for the purpose of expanding or contracting the breadth of the fracture-bed between the leg-pieces (33), and I now retain the simple slide motion at these parts.

The great but actually little understood advantages of the sling posture, are secured by suspending the splint in the accompanying cradle. The form of the cradle portrayed in the cut is not quite that which I now use. It is capable of being taken to pieces, like the the whole of the splint, by loosening the screws at ƒ ƒ, and removing the cross-bar, and as a joint exists at e e, the whole can be folded up into a convenient form; indeed, the whole splint and cradle can be wrapped up into a comparatively small parcel portable on the front of the saddle, or under the arm to any distance without inconvenience. A long straight splint, formed by joining the lateral thigh and leg slides together (which can be used with or without the foot-piece.)

The additional slide-piece (5) (seen in the first cut) can be used alone, or united with the foot-piece (4), in fractures or dislocations about the leg, It can also be attached to the lateral thigh and sidepiece (2), and thus forms a convenient long straight splint, applicable to fractures of the thigh, &c. The preceding woodcut illustrates the splint formed by the junction of the parts mentioned, and with regard to size will fit any limb, and may be used entire or in parts.

When the lateral thigh and side-piece is removed from the complete splint to form the long straight splint seen in the preceding cut, the resulting splint resembles in all respects the common Liston's or Mc Intyre's double-incline plane fracture-beds, and may be used for all

the purposes for which these are suitable, having also the additional advantages of being capable of exact adjustment to the size of any limb, with moveable pieces of bandage at the back of the leg, to enable the surgeon to inspect and dress all parts of a limb with compound or other fractures, and the ability to hang it in a sling-cradle, if

necessary.

The following cut shows this portion of the splint reduced to its smallest size, and that when the complete splint is deprived of the lateral thigh-piece and cradle, a splint is formed similar to Liston's or Mc Intyre's.

The next cut exhibits the lateral thigh and side-piece applied to the arm, where it is applicable as a splint to any fracture of the humerus or elbow-joints. In practice it has been found useful in those fractures, and has the advantage of being capable of allowing extension to be made to the limb.

I may add that the expense of the whole splint with the cradle is scarcely greater than Liston's ordinary splint, and has been spoken of to me in the highest terms by several of my medical friends who have used it. They report that it fulfils all the ends for which it was invented; namely, simplicity

of principle, and capability of adaptation to all fractures of the extremities, or to any size of patient.

At a future opportunity I will introduce it in connexion with several interesting cases, usually found most difficult to manage, and in which it has proved an efficient instrument of cure.-Med. Times and Gaz., Dec. 31, 1853, p. 676.

80.-LIFTING APPARATUS FOR BEDS.-THE LAWSON BED AND TRANSFERRER.

[MR. FOWLER, house-surgeon to the United Hospital, Bath, brings forward an invention of Henry Lawson, Esq., of Bath, for the purpose of lifting patients in hospitals. The following wood-cut will fully illustrate the description.]

A is a four-post bedstead, of any kind; in the Bath Hospital it is of iron, and with French castors, for the facility and ease of being moved.

B is a mattrass of any kind; either of wool, or flock, or feathers. C is an oblong strong frame, on which is strained a strong cloth, well supported by interlaced webbing beneath, and having an aperture of requisite size in the middle.

D is an axis, with a grooved wheel fixed at one end, and resting on rollers placed close or near to the wheel, the other end of the axis resting upon the bar, as shown in the drawing. From this axis four cords descend, which are fastened by hooks to the four corners of the frame C.

E is a ratched or notched wheel, with the teeth peculiarly formed, so as to prevent accidents; and appertaining to which wheel is a ratchet or click, which communicates by a cord with the ring R. F is a cord which goes twice round the wheel W, and hangs near to the ring R, ready for use.

The purport of this arrangement is to enable an individual nurse to attend to the wants of a paralysed patient without loss of time or need of assistance. On the wants of the patient being made known, the nurse draws the cord F; and the lines or cords fixed to the corners of C, by winding round the axis D, raises the patient to the required height, and he is retained there by the click or ratchet near E. When it is required to replace the patient on the mattrass, the nurse pulls the cord F with one hand, and with the other pulls the ring R, which releases the click, (in consequence of F being first pulled), and the patient can now (by the nurse permitting the cord F to slide slowly through her hand) be lowered with the necessary gentleness, and placed again on the mattrass, without noise or derangement of his recumbent position.

The bed at Bath is furnished with a duplicate of the frame C, which may easily be substituted for the one in use, when, for the purposes of cleanliness, such change is advisable.

The benefits that are sought to be attained by the above contrivance are, the great facility with which the heaviest and most helpless patient can be moved and adjusted for the operations of nature; that it can be manufactured by any good carpenter, having no noisy metallic

Fig. 2.

A

B