Several years ago I picked up parts of a "Cluthe truss" at a yard sale. The lady running the sale said that the parts had probably belonged to a relative who was a nurse in the 20's. Nobody was really sure what the parts were for, but when I brought them home I found the answer on the website featuring the 1912 book "Cluthe's Advice to the Ruptured". What a catchy title! Five Cluthe family members formed the "Cluthe Rupture Institute" in Bloomfield, NJ. In their book, they recommended against the patient having surgery to correct the rupture. Better for sales. Judging from the prosperous appearance of the Cluthe family and the picture of their impressive "institute" in the book, business was good. None of the family appear to have earned M.D.'s, but in those days many medical schools were not associated with universities anyway and generally the profession was not held in high esteem. I donated the pieces to the Kingston Museum of Health Care.
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| The Cluthe Rupture Institute |
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3 comments:
Because surgery have today very much complications I think will be good idea to start fabricate such devices again. Author of this blog made very useful job placing here images. With them will be easy reproduce this device and try.
May be anybody know where can purchase Cluthe trusses today ?
May be anybody know what happened with this institute ? Was this institute registered as legal entity ?
I lost 2 month to study all trusses we have on market today as person with strong technical and scientific education and I want to tell you nothing there was found better.
Author of patent died in 1967 year. I don't know US and Canadian Law so maybe somebody can explain me who is owner of rights for their truss patents ?
I think is great sense to try fabricate them.
But their book is only advertisement.
Very much questions exists after read book. We do not know if they use only during day this truss or 24 hours.
We do not know how dress this truss an how select construction of Pad dependently type of hernia.
There are also many others questions we must to have answer.
Will be good to find their advices they sent to their clients together with their truss. May be something exists in Museums and may be something have people who used such advices.
Why I keep attention to this device.
I found in some country very interesting patent. 200 people was treated with other truss from hernia without surgery. When hernia was small like egg of hen they was treated in full during 4 months of using their truss. If hernia was greater up to 11 months there was treated without any surgery. But I can say that their truss is worse because impossible to swim or take berth.
So I hope this truss have sense to re-new production, at least in small quantity for people who not able or want not to get surgical treatment.
if you are interested to see re-created Cluther truss, please visit this blog http://cluthe2013.blogspot.com/
What was ruptured that required a Cluthe truss?
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