Process of manufacturing hard alcoholic soaps / [Richard Falck].

  • Falck, Richard.
Date:
1904
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Process of manufacturing hard alcoholic soaps / [Richard Falck]. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    A.D. 1904 Date of Application, 30th Jan., 1904—Accepted, 24th Mar., 1904 COMPLETE SPECmCATTON, Process of Manufacturing Hard Alcoholic Soaps. 10 20 2/) .'50 3.5 I, Dr. liiciLUiD Falck, of G Goepperstrasse, Breslau, Geiniany, Physician, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the fol¬ lowing statement:—• i 5 The process of washing the skin may be divided into two distinct phases. In the hrst, the water is rendered capable of wetting and penetiating tiie skin by the dissolved soap. The particles which constitute the dirt likewise become enveloped by the soapy solution and thus prepared for the second phase. This consists in the lathering process, brought about by the usual movements of the hands, and in the soap-bubbles, whicli constitute the lather, acting as carriers for the particles of dirt and lifting the latter out of the skin, and thus removing ,them. In washing with the ordinary soaps, both the above processes go on in a very superficial manner, so that thorough cleansing does not take place; in particular, 15 the particles of dirt which lie deep in the skin are not removed, since the lather¬ ing process commences at once and the soap does not penetrate sulhciently into tlie skin. The'purpose of the present invention is to produce a product by the applica¬ tion of which particles of soap, undecomposed, can be introduced deeper and more quickly into the skin, and only after this has taken place, the lathering process be commenced, which process is thus completed in the depth of the skin, so that the more deeply lying particles of dirt are brought to the surface. llesearch has shown that sufficient quantities of soap' can only be introduced undecomposed into the skin when instead of an aqueous, a concentrated alcoholic soapy solution, containing at least 10 per cent soap, is introduced into the skin in contact with the air, so that the alcohol evaporates and the soap penetrates into the skin. When now the hands so treated are dipped into' water, in the usual manner, and a lather thus made, a surprising cleansing effect is attained in the same time and in the same manner as with ordinary soap, whilst there is the advantage that by means of the alcohol any germs on the skin are killed. This cleansing process can be conducted simply by dropping (for instance by means of a burette) a concentrated alcoholic potash soap solution on the skin and then producing a lather by means of water. Such method, however, would be too troublesome to find general application. The attempt has therefore been made to produce a solid alcoholic soaj) possess¬ ing sufticient hardness and capable of transport, and furthermore presenting all the other characteristics of ordinary soap. For certain purposes spirit has already been converted from the liquid into the solid aggregate condition by the addition of soap. ■Thus, for example, a part of the so called “ solid spirit ”, which, as is well known, is employed solely for burning and illuminating purposes, is prepared by converting spirit into a semi-solid, jellied mass by the addition of soap. The object, iu view here, however, is to obtain a product melting at as high a tem¬ perature as possible by the addition of a minimum quantity of soap. Of all . T %