Post by Auset on Feb 5, 2004 14:58:16 GMT -5
Bessie Blount was born in Hickory, Virginia in 1914. She left Hickory for New Jersey, where she studied at Panzar College of Physical Education to become a physical therapist.
She left New Jersey to finish her education in Chicago. She began working with injured World War II amputees. While she worked at helping her patients regain their independence, eating was the most difficult task for them to manage by themselves.
In response to her patients’ difficulty, Blount invented a device to assist them. A mouthful of food was delivered through a tube each time the patient bit down on the tube. The device could be used while lying down or sitting up.
By 1951, Blount had moved back to Newark, New Jersey where she began teaching physical therapy at the Bronx Hospital in New York. She tried to market her device, but was unsuccessful. Instead she decided to patent another device called the portable receptacle support. While its purpose was the same, this device was composed of a brace that was worn around the patient’s neck and was used to support a bowl or other dish.
However, Blount was not able to successfully market this device either and she was unable to get the Veteran's Administration to use it. Therefore, she signed over her rights to the French government in 1952.
According to Bessie Blount, despite not being able to successfully market her inventions, she was able to prove that "a black woman can invent something for the benefit of humankind."
She left New Jersey to finish her education in Chicago. She began working with injured World War II amputees. While she worked at helping her patients regain their independence, eating was the most difficult task for them to manage by themselves.
In response to her patients’ difficulty, Blount invented a device to assist them. A mouthful of food was delivered through a tube each time the patient bit down on the tube. The device could be used while lying down or sitting up.
By 1951, Blount had moved back to Newark, New Jersey where she began teaching physical therapy at the Bronx Hospital in New York. She tried to market her device, but was unsuccessful. Instead she decided to patent another device called the portable receptacle support. While its purpose was the same, this device was composed of a brace that was worn around the patient’s neck and was used to support a bowl or other dish.
However, Blount was not able to successfully market this device either and she was unable to get the Veteran's Administration to use it. Therefore, she signed over her rights to the French government in 1952.
According to Bessie Blount, despite not being able to successfully market her inventions, she was able to prove that "a black woman can invent something for the benefit of humankind."
