Improvements in vaporizing apparatus for medical purposes / [Herbert Franklin Williams].

  • Williams, Herbert Franklin.
Date:
1889
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Improvements in vaporizing apparatus for medical purposes / [Herbert Franklin Williams]. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    1/6
    N° 8618 A.D. 1889 Date of Application, 23rd May, 1889—Accepted, 29th June, 1889 COMPLETE SPECIFICATION. Improvements in Vaporizing* Apparatus for Medical Purposes. I, Herbert Franklin Williams, of 450 Clasoon Avenue Brooklyn, County of Kings, State of New York, United States of America, Doctor of Medicine, do hereby declare the nature of my invention for “ Improvements in vaporizing apparatus FOR medical purposes” and in what manner the same is to he performed, 5 to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement:— My invention is an apparatus for the administration of medicine in'a vaporized form, or of air or other gas impregnated with such medicinal vapor. The construction of my apparatus is such that I can regulate the temperature of the vapor or impregnated air at will, and the vaporizing chamber itself is constructed on a novel 10 principle, in that the air, instead of being forced through the liquid, or instead of being mingled with a spray drawn directly from the liquid body by any means, is projected down upon the liquid surface, and there mingles with the vapor rising from said surface, and finally escapes from the vaporizing chamber by any suitable conduit which may lead directlv to the patient who is to receive the treatment. Included in 15 my apparatus is a form of hood or cover for the mouth and nose of the patient, which will fit closely to the contour of the face, and prevent the mingling of the external air with the medicated air or vapor yielded by the apparatus. In the accompanying drawings, Fig. 1 is a side elevation of my apparatus showing certain portions in vertical section. Fig. 2 is a sectional view of the hood for the 20 face of the patient. Similar letters of reference indicate like parts. The air or gas which is to be mingled with the vapor produced, enters the apparatus at A, which is a tube, which may communicate with a reservoir containing compressed air. I have found it exceedingly beneficial to carry this tube directly through the casing of the window, and so out of doors, so that in this wav, pure, fresh air may be 25 drawn directly into the apparatus, without exposing the body of tho patient to the external temperature. It will be readily understood, that the patient may remain in his apartment fully protected from draughts, &c., and in the manner described be able to obtain all the advantages incident*to the breathing of fresh atmospheric air. After entering at the point A, the air to be medicated is passed through a drying tube B, 30 which may be filled with chloride of calcium, or any other material for absorbing moisture therefrom. After being thus dried, the air passes by the tube C to a heating drum 1), which is placed in proximity to a lamp E, or any other suitable source of heat. In case it is desired to cool the air instead of heating it, the drum D may be surrounded by ice, or any suitable freezing mixture. The tube C communicates with 35 drum D by pipes, F and G, in which pipes are arranged valves H and I. A valve J is also arranged in the tube 0 between the tubes F and G. When the valve J is closed, the air is forced to circulate through the drum D, the valves H and I then being open. If the valves H and I are closed, and the valve J be open, then obviously the air will not pass through the drum D. By suitable adjustments of the valves H, I, 40 and J, any portion of the air current may be made to pass through the drum D, and in this way, the temperature of the air passing to the vaporizing chamber mav bo nicely regulated. K is the vaporizing chamber preferably of glass and hermetically sealed above. In this chamber is placed the liquid L or other material which is to be vaporized. The tube 0 enters this chamber but terminates above the surface of 45 the liquid. At the end of the tube C, is a bulb M which is perforated, and which serves to break up or diffuse the air current above the surface of the liquid L. Also entering the chamber K, is a tube N, the extremity of which may also be a perforated bulb 0. This tube serves to convey the mingled vapor and air to the patient, or wTherever else it is to be utilized. The vaporizing chamber K is here shown placed in 50 a heating cylinder P, which is closed on its upper side Q, and provided below with a [Price