Volume 2

An account of the experiment made at the desire of the Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty on board the Union hospital ship, to determine the effect of the nitrous acid in destroying contagion, and the safety with which it may be employed. In a letter addressed to the Right Hon. Earl Spencer / [James Carmichael Smyth].

  • Smyth, James Carmichael, 1741-1821.
Date:
1796
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: An account of the experiment made at the desire of the Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty on board the Union hospital ship, to determine the effect of the nitrous acid in destroying contagion, and the safety with which it may be employed. In a letter addressed to the Right Hon. Earl Spencer / [James Carmichael Smyth]. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    [ 7° 3 and fmall pieces of iron into their pots, iri order to give a high degree of red fmoking quality to the acid. When you acquainted me of Dr. C. Smyth’s difcovery, it occur¬ red to me, that as the common notion of nitrous acid vapours, is confined to thofe that are red, feme people might, in tfie firft place, be prejudiced againrt it, from the idea ofj the vapours being noxious; as the red vapours are undoubtedly, and others might think that they made the pro- cels more effe&ual, by adding to Dr. C. . Smyth’s mixture, metals, or inflammable fubftances, in order to produce thofe red vapours. I therefore thought it would be proper for Dr. C. Smyth, to point out the difference between the vapours produced in his method, and the red nitious fumes which are fo well known ; and alio to cau¬ tion the operators to avoid metal vefi'els, or the addition of metals or inflammable fub¬ ftances 4 There 1