“Be it known that I, John Peter Willms, of the city of Baltimore, and the state of Maryland, have invented a new and improved Pessary …”  Letters Patent No. 60,312 - dated December 4, 1866.  Later in 1871, John and Charles formed Willms Surgical Instrument Co. at 13 N. Howard Street in Baltimore. Later the device was distributed as Zwank’s Hysterophore by Tiemann, (1889, figure) 3474, and others.