The enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1804-1815, 1805-10-01

Impure. For larger rooms, two or more fets OF
apparatus may be made ufe of, placed in differ
cnt parts of the room, which occalioualiy may
be carried round or near the beds OF the fclS,
only avoiding to fet at liberty TOO great vc-
lume OF gas at once, which may excite iu,nc
cough, and although no way Gancrrous, may
prove troublefomc or painful 10 the flick. All
the advantages TO be derived from tfefe fumiga-
tions with the muriatic acid gas are greatly in
created by employing the gas in fate of fuper
oxygiiiation, and this is eafly obtained, by adj
ding To the common falt previous to the additi-
on of the oil of vitriol, a fnall quantity of the
black oxyd Of manganese Common manganese
ufed by the Pottcrs for giving the black glazing
TO their ware, and to be bad at mott druggiRs.)
For this purpofe take two parts of common falt,
one for the mangancfe in powder, one and
half Of water and two Of oil of vitriol, grind the
Calf and rnanganefe together in msrtar, place
them in glafs, china, or tone veiiel, add the
water, and (if the procefs is TO be conducted in
an uninhabited room) pour on the acid all at
once if in a flick chamber, at two or three pc
RODS, fuffering the fumes to fnb6de little be-
tween each addition. The quantities neceiiary
for rooms of different izes may be proport-
oned from what has been faid already on tina.
fubieet
GUyton Morveau adduces great number Of
facts and experiments in proof of the efficacy
and perfect fafety of thefe experiments. In the
year 1878, as has been already mentioned, he
inccclfvely corrected by theft means, the air of
the principal church at Diieh rendered highly
putrid and infectious by emptying of the ftpul-
chral vaults of that church; and towards the
end OF the fame year he by the fame means ftop-
ped the progrcfs of an alarming Jail fever which
broke out in the prifons Of that city. In the
tecond year of the republic, the directory of the
military hofpitals in the department of the
md he Ir,trx y,,l
of avio!ent epidemic, which appeared among
the prifoners, fuccefsfuly made ufe of fumigati-
ons according to the proce!s of Guyton Nor
, veau. In the fame year the council of health
: ordered experiments to be made in the hoTpitais
de St. Cyr, de Frafciade, and du Grus- Cail,ou.
The refuIts proved incoutetibly that fuch fumi-
cations may be executed without Inconvenience
and with the greatef advantage in uninhabited
rooms
In the year 1894, when the military hofpitals
and prifons had become infected with putrid and
malignant ftvers, the council of health ordered
them to be, purified according 10 the proceis
OF Guyton Morveau and it is aiierted with great
fuccefs. The fame procefs was employed in fe-
veral hofpitas left by the Aufrians in very in
teeted fate. in the army of the Pyrenees du.
ring an affecting epidemic in the third year, and
in the army of Italy in dreadful epidemic in
the feventh year of the repubiic-in the feet at
Rochefort, and in the expedition; hut we are
not informed with what fnccefs. In the year
1900 contagious fever prevailing at Seville,
in Spain, Immediately ceafed upon the nfe of
acid fumigations, after which but one perfon di-
ed, the nurfes and attendants were no longer at
tackled with the difeafe, and the convalefcents
! had no ielapies. Towards the end of the win
ter OF 1910, malignant fever broke out among
the Spahiih piiioners in Wincbefer in England,
which carried off one feventh in the ihort fpace
| OF three months; this epidemic was fubdued by
Dr. Carmichael Snyth. ina very few weeks by
Cleanliness, bathing the lick, fumisating the
ifammocks, beds and clothing with burning full
phur, wafhing the Fl ais, partitions, and bed
fteads with diluted muratic acid, and fumi-
eating the rooms with the vapours of the nitric
acid.
In 1913, malignant fever mapifefted itfeIf in
the Hofpital fhp Union, fta.ioned at Sheeri,tfs
for the accommodation of the Ruffian and En-
glifh fleets. On the 26th of November fumica-
! lions with the nitric acid made by adding fira'l
portions of falt petre to the vtrioIic acid were
commenced, after the very firft fumigation the
AR of the flip was manifeftly purer. The fumi-
cations were repeated night and morning with
increa6Dg good effects, 70 that from the esth of
November to the llth of December only one
Ruliian died. The fymptoms Of the diforder
were mitigated, no one of the aiTiRants were at
tackled, and Of eighteen patients admitted all re.
covered; the fumieations occalioned no incon.
venience to-the flck or their attendants, and It's
good effects were 70 n,anifeft, that they very re-
luctantly confentcd to diicontinue them. The
fame fnmigations were pracaifed with the hap
pielt effects on hoard fome venels of the feet,
and foon after DR.. Smyth received letters and
Testimonials from upwards of twenty furseons
of hoipitafs and yefIes of war, officers of ma
rines, and furgeons attached to regiments, all
affecting the good effects Of thefe fumigatons
in arrefing the proFrefs of contag5s,n and fsnfi-
bly, and rapidly dirninifhing the malignny of fe-
vers.
GuytoD Moryeau adds the teffinionv of Mr..
Cruckibanks and DIR. Rolla of The military hof-
pital at Woolwich, who made ufe of the oxygi
mated muriatic acid gas for the purpofe Of def
troying contagion, and with fuch effetf, that
they fay that with the knowledge of this rene
dY, contagion can in future only arife and fpread
under abfolute inattention and neglect In ad-
dition to thefe poftive proofs, Guyton Morvean
inftltuted fet of experiments, to determine the
comparative powers of different fubRances in
decompohng, nentralizing, and correcting p,l
trid air, from which think he fairly draws the
following concluions:
That water warm or cold, has no other eff
feet on putrid nafmata than to dinolye or
dilute them.
That limo ala q. -.