Specification of William Brown Rooff : construction of respirators.

  • Rooff, William Brown.
Date:
1857
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Specification of William Brown Rooff : construction of respirators. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    jRoof's Improvements in the Construction of Respirators. around them as it passes from the entrance openings h to the valve box c, to be breathed by the patient. In the inner face of the case a9 between the top thereof and the partition d9 a series of openings / are made (see Fig. 4), for the purpose of allowing the vitiated or expired air to pass off to the 5 atmosphere. This vitiated air on entering the chamber formed by the top of the case a and the horizontal partition d9 passes down the tubes e, and enters another chamber formed by the partition d*9 and a third partition g which has openings in it, as shewn in the sectional plan view, Fig. 6, and is provided with valves to close those openings, as represented by Fig. 7, which 10 is a sectional view looking upwards, taken in the line 3 .... 4 of Fig. 4. The expired air passes out at these valves and through the grating which forms the bottom of the case a into the atmosphere, and while thus passing out the conducting tubes e9 e9 are heated thereby. As the patient commences a fresh inflation of his lungs, pure air is drawn into the respirator through the 15 openings b, and coming in contact with the heated tubes e9 e9 in its passage to the valve box c, its temperature is raised to a degree suitable for inhalation. Thus at every expiration the vitiated air is carried off by a channel distinct from that which conducts the pure air to the mouth, and at every inspiration a supply of air uncontaminated with the vitiated air from the lungs is drawn 20 into the instrument and warmed before it reaches the lips of the patient. To prevent air from reaching the mouth of the patient otherwise than through the proper channels, a padding h9 h (Figs. 2 and 3), is provided, which fits close around the mouth, and thus effectually prevents the access of air other¬ wise than through the instrument in the way desired. I would remark, that 25 bandages resembling neckcloths may be attached to the instruments as usual with respirators, but care should be taken that the part of the respirator is not so thickly covered with such bandage as to impede the ready passage of the air through the openings b. The metal I prefer for making these instruments is silver, as it is not readily affected by the moisture of the breath; but other 30 metals or alloys of metals plated with silver may also be employed with advantage. Having now described the nature of my Invention, and the manner of carrying the same into .effect, I wish it to be understood that I do mean or intend to confine myself to the precise construction or arrangement of parts herein 35 shewn and described, as they may doubtless be varied without departing from the nature and object of my Invention. But that which I consider to be new and therefore wish to claim as the Invention secured to me by the herein¬ before in part recited Letters Patent is, constructing respirators in such a manner that the vitiated or expired air may be conducted off in a separate