Patent Model - Paper-Board for Dressing Wounds

Maker and role
Paul Koch (German, b.1844, d.1911), Patentee
Production date
May 09 1892
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Object detail

Media/Materials
Paper
Measurements
17 1/4 x 16 1/4 x 1 1/2" (43.8 x 41.3 x 3.8cm)
3 13/16lbs (1.73kg)
Description
Koch's patent "is designed to be applied to wounds or fractures as a bandage, and it is steeped in warm water before using, so that it will be soft and plastic, thus enabling it to be molded by hand to conform to the shape of the wounded or injured member."
Koch worked in field hospitals during the Franco-Prussian War from 1870-1871. At the time, the hospital staff formed splints with whatever materials they could find such as sticks and branches. Discouraged by their ineffectiveness, Koch built a factory to manufacture splints as well as other medical supplies. One of these splints, what became known as the Cramer rail, provides a flexible metal mesh cage to stabilize the injured limb. In the 20th century, his company developed the first motorized rail splint and still operates today. (Patent Number 257,723)
Object number
2015.14.3415
Currently on display?
No

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