As They Say, Necessity Is The Mother Of Invention,

and after more than a few wars, 

many soldiers were returning home with disabilities, which lead to this patented invention by James Arnold, who set up business as a surgical instrument maker, based in the City of London. His company operated under several names, known as James Arnold & Son from 1857, they manufactured a range of instruments and appliances, and according to the preface of their 1879 catalogue, they specialized in orthopaedics, and this combination knife and fork called the Desideratum, would be a great help to amputees, so how was this long forgotten item patented? in 1843 the Utility Designs Act was passed into law, allowing inventors to use the Registered Designs system to protect their ideas. This was simpler and cheaper, and so encouraged a wider range of people to get involved in inventing, the records of designs registered under the Utility Designs Act, held at The National Archives, give an amazing insight into the problems encountered by Victorian inventors and the many intriguing ways they tried to solve them, Registered Design records are the inspiration for an exhibition titled, Spirit of Invention, which is open at The National Archives until Sunday 29 October 2023, to find out more about the exhibition and related events on the Spirit of Invention portal, a great way to while away a few moments when you have time.