1796. | iG 
es ; / 
(--799)) - 
NEW PATENTS 
Enrolled in the Months of September and O€tobers 
Sees, 2 eee 
Mr. LownpeEs’s GYMNASTICON. 
N the 30th of September, letters pa- 
_tent were granted to. Mr. FRANGIs 
LOwNDEs, of St. Paul’s Church-yard, 
London, for his invention of a machine 
for mufcular exercife, which he calls 
a Gymnafucon. Its cbjeét is to enable 
perfons to exercife themfelves in any de- 
gree wifhed for, in their own chambers ; 
generally in all parts of the body at once, 
or partially as the cafe may require. 
The machine confifts of an upright 
frame, fufficiently large’te admit the hu- 
man body. ‘Uhe aétion is produced on 
the lower extremities by means of two 
treadles, fimilar to thofe made ufe of in 
turning lathes. Vhe action of the up- 
Per extremities is produced by means of 
two cranks of any required depth ; which 
cranks are put im motion by a wheel, 
connected by a band, witha wheel on 
the axle of the cranks, belonging to the 
treadies.' The perfon, therefore, re- 
ulring exercife in both extremities, has 
only to-put the treadles in motion, by 
the weight of his feet; the treadles will 
then turn their cranks, which, by a 
band, communicate motion to the upper 
wheelandcranks,and by holding the latter 
with the hands, every joint and mufcle 
in the body is put in aétion. It is obvi- 
ous, that this aétion may be increafed to 
any degree, by varying the pofition of 
the feet on the treadics, and the depth 
of the upper cranks. 
The foregoing defcription applies te 
Motion, fimilar in its effect to walking 
or running, and may be eafily varied, fo 
as to produce a degree of exercife equal 
to two, or even to ten miles per houry 
By very fimple contrivances, Mr. 
Lownpss has conftruéted the apparatus 
in fuch a manner, as to enable the per- 
fon while taking the exercife, to read or 
Write; alfo, in cafes whereim the patient 
from debility is unable to ftand, he is 
enabled to fit down, and receive at the 
fame time any degree of mufcular ac- 
tion that may be neceffary. In cafes of 
extreme weaknefs, in which a patient 
is unable to communicate motion tothe 
treadles, or in any other cafe in which 
it may be neceflary, the machine may be 
put in motton, and all the exercife pro- 
cured, by means of a hand-turn or winch, 
which requires fo finall a degree of power, 
that a child may perform the operation, 
This machine, the patentee conceives, 
will be oF the higheit importance to me- 
dicine, by affording a degree of exercife 
which cannot otherwile be obtained, and 
by direéting the exercife into particular 
parts of the fyftem. The difeafes, wherein 
it may be applied with the greatefi fuc- 
cefs, he conceives to be all thofe which 
arife from obftruétions in the joints and 
in the abdomimal vifcera; and that it 
might therefore be highly ufeful in fe- 
male boarding fchools; to perfons of fe- 
dentary habits and employments; to the 
paralytic, the gouty, and the rheumatic. 
Mr. HaLey’s TIME-KEEPER. 
On the.i7th of September, letters 
patent were granted to Mr. CHARLES 
Hatey, of Wigmore-fireet, Cavendith- 
{quare, for his invention of an improved 
MARINE Time Keeper. 
The principal inveution in this time- 
keeper, confitts in the manner of apply~ 
ing arenovating {pring ; which mode-of 
application is entirely original, and ap- 
pears to be a confiderable improvement. 
By producing perfectly equal arcs of vi- 
bration ia the balance, the Patentee has 
attained an objeét which all artiits have 
had in view, but hitherto have only ob- 
tained in a partial manner. 
The firft attempt of the kind, attended 
with any fuccefs, wasthat of Mr. Hax- 
RISON, who applied a renovating {pring 
on the contrate wheel, wound up every 
ten feconds. his application took off 
{uch a proportion of the imperfeétions of 
the main fpring, and of the iregularities 
of power, arifing from the tram of 
wheels, as to obtain a degree of accuracy 
which intitled him to very confiderable 
reward from the board of longitude. 
Mr. Harrifon’s time-keeper did not, how- 
ever, produce the defired and expected 
effect, namely, the obtaining of equal 
arcs of vibration. He, therefore, after- 
wards, added another contrivance, the 
cycloid pin, by which to produce large 
and {mall arcs of vibration, to be per- 
formed in equaltimes. ‘The latter con- 
is 
trivance fucceeded but partially ; and the 
whole machine, as conftru¢ted by Mr, 
Harrifon, was fo complicated and ex- 
pentfive, that no artift except Mr. Ken- 
DAL, ever aitempted the making of 
one; and he only conftruéted two during 
the whole of the lat hfteen years of his 
life, 
Mrs 





ose 
= 
= 
eS 
Ss 
Sloe TT 
3 A 

