On the economical applications of charcoal to sanitary purposes : a lecture delivered at the Royal Institution, Albemarle Street, on Friday evening, March 2, 1855 / by John Stenhouse.

  • Stenhouse, John, 1809-1880.
Date:
1855
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: On the economical applications of charcoal to sanitary purposes : a lecture delivered at the Royal Institution, Albemarle Street, on Friday evening, March 2, 1855 / by John Stenhouse. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by The Royal College of Surgeons of England. The original may be consulted at The Royal College of Surgeons of England.

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    The reception of the charcoal respirators by the public has been remarkably favourable, several thousands having already been sold in the course of the last six months. A few days ago, during an interview which I had with Dr. Sutherland, who has just gone out as chief medical inspector to Scutari and Balaklava; that gentleman informed me, that so strongly was he convinced of the utility of charcoal respirators, that he had memorialised Government to allow him to take out 500. Dr. Sutherland's request was met with the usual stereotyped official reply, that respirators did not belong to his department. Dr. Sutherland was, therefore, obliged to content himself with taking out a single dozen for the use of himself and his brother inspectors. It is evident that no experiments as to the effi- ciency of respirators can be deemed at all satisfac- tory unless made on a very considerable scale. In order, therefore, to ensure their speedy adoption, I have prevailed upon Mr. Rooff to offer to supply the Government with the use of 1000 respirators for six months for somewhat less than £90. A similar offer will speedily be made to the French and Austrian governments by whom, I think, it highly probable it will be accepted; I must confess, however, that I should be rather sorry that an invention, originating in Great Britain, should first be extensively applied by any of the continental governments. If our soldiers and sailors, when placed in un- healthy situations, were furnished with charcoal