Specification of George Davies : respiratory apparatus.

Davies, George

Date:: 1864

Credit: Specification of George Davies : respiratory apparatus. Source: Wellcome Collection.

8/12 page 6

$A.D. 1864.—N° 974. Specification. Davies Improved Respiratory Apparatus. bottom of the latter, whilst the tube c1 suspended by a cord is kept at the upper part thereof. The straps D and D1 serve for carrying the vessel on the shoulders, and the waist belt C confines it to the body, as shown at Figure 9. The vessel (as above stated) contains quite as much air as would be required to last for about half an hours work, a sufficiently long time for 5 any work or examination to be effected in places filled with pestilential or suffocating gases or vapors. The workman inhales and exhales in the same manner as when breathing the external atmosphere, he is free in all his move¬ ments, and can easily handle his tools or implements without any more fatigue than when at ordinary work. If it should happen when descending into a 10 dark well or other place that the lamp cannot be kept alight for want of air, a small branch tube from the vessel may be connected to the lamp, which will thus be supplied with air as long as the workman is required to stay. The small quantity of qir absorbed by the lamp will only reduce by a very insignificant fraction the time which the air will last. To keep the leathern 15 vessel B perfectly air-tight (which is absolutely necessary for assuring the success of the apparatus), the skin must not be pierced, but at those places where it is desired to connect the straps a small round piece of wood, grooved on the circumference like a pulley (as shown at H, Figure 6,) must be introduced into the vessel, and the skin is to be tied tightly over it by a cord go or ligature h passing round the groove, and the straps or other appurtenances are then to be screwed, or otherwise fixed to the pieces of wood H. The extremities of the legs, the neck, and the tail are furnished with similar pieces of wood covered with an impermeable varnish. To fill the skin or vessel a pair of bellows S (see Figure 7) is to be employed, being actuated by the two 25 hands, which are passed through the straps s, s1. The mouth-piece A (from which the tubes c and c1 communicate with the interior of the skin or vessel) is for this purpose introduced into the conical piece t, which forms a part of the body of the bellows. A few minutes suffice for filling the vessel entirely, and it may be kept full by pinching the tubes c and c\ so as to close all 30 communication with the external atmosphere. Having now particularly described the nature and object of the said Inven¬ tion for “ An Improved Respiratory Apparatus,” together with the manner in which the same is to be or may be performed or carried into practical effect, I would remark, in conclusion, that I claim as the Invention (communicated 35 to me by the above-named Albert Galibert), the respiratory apparatus above ^ -• v 1 ■ * 4 described and illustrated in the annexed Drawings, whether the same is employed with simple tubes communicating with the atmospheric air or with$

Specification of George Davies : respiratory apparatus.

Licence and re-use

Contents