US604119A - Surgical needle - Google Patents

Description

MILTON I-I. LOWE, OF JEFFERSONVILLE, INDIANA, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO THEO RUSSELL, OF WEST BADEN, INDIANA.

SURGICAL NEEDLE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 604,119, dated May 17, 1898.

Application filed October '7 1 8 9 7.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, MILTON H. LOWE, a citizen of the United States, residing at J effersonville, in the county of Clarke and State of Indiana, have invented a new and useful Surgical Needle, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in needles especially adapted for surgical pur poses, although it may beused for other purposes the same as ordinary needles; and the primary object that I have in view is to provide an improved construction of the needle by which a single length of thread may be carried by the needle instead of doubling the thread, as is necessary in the ordinary form of needle.

A further object of the invention is to construct the needle in a peculiar manner to enable the thread attached or connected to the needle to be housed within the eye thereof, so as not to leave any projecting parts,thereby providing for the passage of the needle and thread through a wound or the flesh to the best advantage; and a further object of the invention is to provide an improved construction by which the thread may be easily and quickly passed through the eye, so that the thread may be easily attached and disconnected, as desired.

To the accomplishment of these ends my invention consists of a needle the butt-end of which is tapered from the thread-eye toward the extremity of the needle-shank, a longitudinal bore or passage through the butt-end of the needle-shank, a transverse notch in the needle-shank situated in advance of the bore or passage, forming a broad abrupt shoulder across the plane of the bore and having a guide-face which extends in an inclined direction outwardly from a point at one side of the bore or passage to the outer face of the needleshank, and a groove in said inclined face and arranged in the plane of the bore or passage in the butt of the needle-shank, all as will be hereinafter fully described and claimed.

To enable others to understand myinvention, I have illustrated the preferred embodiment thereof in the accompanying'drawings,

Serial No- 654,459. (No model.)

forming a part of this specification, and in which Figure 1 is an elevation, on an enlarged scale, of my improved needle, looking at the notched face thereof. Fig. 2 is a vertical longitudinal sectional view on the plane indicated by the dotted line 2 2 of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a cross-sectional view on the plane indicated by the dotted line 3 3 of Fig. 1 and looking in the direction indicated by the arrow. Fig. 4 is a sectional view similar to Fig. 2 and showing a thread connected to the 1011- gitudinal eye of the needle. Figs. 5 and 6 are enlarged views, in plan andsection, of another embodiment, illustrating a groove in the needle.

Like numerals of reference denote corresponding parts in all the figures of the drawlngs. Referring now by numerals to the drawings, 1 designates the needle, which in all respects save the butt-end and the eye is similar to needles of ordinary construction. I have shown the needle with a straight shank orshaft terminating in a point 2; but it will be understood that I do not restrict myself to this particular type of the needle, because the shank may terminate in a curved pointed extremity, or any desired form may be given to the shank.

The shank or shaft of the needle is formed with a notch 3 and a longitudinal bore or eye 4,.which notch and eye or bore are formed in the head or buttend of the needle. The notch is formed by cutting away a part of the needle from one side or face thereof, so as to produce an inclined face or bottom to the notch, said inclined face or bottom being indicated by the numeral 5. The inclined or sloping face 5 of the recess terminates at a point beyond the longitudinal axis of the shank in order to enable the front end of the bore or eye 4; to open through the needle for the passage of the thread.

The butt-end of the needle is solid or integral with the shank, and this buttend is slightly enlarged from the butt-end toward the notch 3 in the shank.

The butt of the needle terminates adjacent to the notch in an abrupt shoulder, (indicated at 6,) and this shoulder constitutes a seat upon which the knotted end of the single thread may bear. The bore or eye 4 Opens through the butt end of the needle and through the shoulder 6, and thus both ends of the bore or eye are exposed for the free passage of the thread.

A longitudinal groove '7 is provided in the inclined face 5 of the notch, as shown by Figs. 5 and 6. This groove 7 is in the plane of the bore or passage and it partakes of the inclination of said face 5, so that the groove inclines from the bottom side of the bore toward the outer face of the needle-shank. Said groove facilitates the passage of the thread through the bore, and it enables the thread to be passed conveniently through either end of said bore or passage.

In threading the needle one end of the strand or thread 7 is passed through the bore or eye at the butt of the needle,and the thread is pushed through the bore in the direction of the length of the needle. The advancing end of the thread passes through the bore and the abrupt shoulder 6, and the end of the thread is deflected by the inclined face or bottom 5 of the notch, so that the front end of the thread may easily be grasped and knotted, as at 8. The thread is now drawn back in order to withdraw its front knotted end into the notch or recess, and so as to have said knot 8 abut against the shoulder 6, which thus forms a seat for the knot. The knotted end of the single thread is thus disposed to lie, practically, within the surface of the needle, so as to avoid having any part thereof project or protrude beyond the cylindrical face of the needle. The knotted front end of the single strand or thread is seated firmly against the needle, the thread is not liable to pull out of the needle or become accidentally disconnected therefrom, and this end is attained, furthermore, by arranging the knotted end of the thread practically flush with the needle, so that it will pass readily therewith through the flesh.

As before stated, the needle may be used for sewing purposes generally, although it is especially adapted for use by surgeons in sewing wounds.

I contemplate making the needle in different sizes and shapes, and I would therefore have it understood that I reserve the right to make such modifications and alterations in the form and proportion of parts as may be suggested by a manufacturer or by a skilled mechanic.

A double thread is particularly objectionable in a surgical needle, particularly in intestinal operations and in sewing wounds around the ears and eyes, where a double thread would come in contact with arteries or leaders running to the eye, sometimes causing the loss of sight and hearing.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

A surgical needle having its butt-end tapered from the thread-notch to the rear extremity thereof, a transverse notch in said shank adjacent to the tapered butt and forming an inclined face, 5, and an abrupt shoulder, 6, which constitutes a seat for a knotted thread, an axial bore or passage in the butt and opening into the notch at one side of the inclined face thereof, and a groove on the inclined face of the notch and arranged in line with the axial bore or passage, substantially as described.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereto affixed my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

. MILTON II. LOWE.

WVitnesses:

ZACK PHELPs, M. E. MoLoUGHLIN.

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