New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1855-06-22
CHARCOAL A DIsINYEcrAyr.
10 a. rSiss, If TAs N. y. r6ss~

To ~ Ediav " zAs ~ y. bos"~
Sin: The CAemist, London monthly publishs O..
substance Of lecsure BY DR.. J. stenhcass upa Ne
Economical Applications Of Charcoal 10 Sanitary Pur-
poses As neither the lecture uef the exuscs Of
The Chemist win be likely 10 be extensively reed =
this country, have thought TO give the more import
ant facts a wider circulation through tho medau n
THF TRiBCsE.
Wood charcoal possesses highly absorbent povvr
for ammons cal gsses sulphucttc hydrogen suipAsr.
GUS acid and csrbonic acid gas. This property par
ftly sdspts II TO the Absorption OF putrd exhaaoos
from decsying animal bod es, layer from 70 two
inches in thickness being sufficient entirely to ebsnrb
The eiuva from large NJ iInss From dead dogs thus
covered 70 ttiuvia were percepuble wnue ne decom-
po.ition Of the bodies was accelerated. INK eisee
nom the fact that charcoal absorts aud oxydze tie
eiuvin which under ordinary circumstances would Be
evolved directly into the arr but within tho pores Of
The charcoal tey brought into contact with co.,
Sn sea o,voen ard arr thus subjected fo~a species Of
io,s ,ombustion their carbon being converednso car
bonic acid and their hydrogen i1io water Charcoal
,beeore rstead of b,ng az autsepiic as was all re-
o1ntly universally believed, Is N fact precisely The
ieveise.
co,I In absorbing efiu, and miasmata 1t occurred 10
DR. Senl ouse that very thin layer OF cLerOoA woald
be tfoc,usl for The sbso pnon OF lne VEG; minute
ouapii,y Of infectious matter Heating IN The atmosphere
of what are called unhealthy locanics. ins led him
10 n = co, syu,tion of the socaed charcoal air6iter
xhih;t,d and described by him before tho Society Of
Arts Feb o. 1854 which IS applicable to shps, TO To
ouh holes Of sewers 10 respraos, &C. 1t eonsist Of
tin LAYER of chaio l-powder hcloSed between two
a Gets of w-gauze IL Is used successfully Ii many
lOca ies in London. ..s..
Charcoal nters cannot fail 10 prove eminentiy use
f Ia ali situations where foul air isaptto aceunulate
sneb as the cloec wards OF hospitals, the back alleys
and new lanes of large ciies etc. all the impurities
being absorbed BY the charcoal, while current
of ruIe air alone is admitted into the neghoonng
Durpg the year psst powdered charcoal has been
most successfully enpio, ed IN several hospitals IN
London TO arrest the progrcss OF gangeue aud other
ruirid sores In tie ease Of hospital gangrene we
hive NOT only TO deal with ciiuva out with real MI
asmnta as ous sores readily infect the healthy
wounds OF any PERSONS in the vicinity. r'is and
other instances prove thar chercoai very eucienl
dfiDfec ant well as Il, odorizer
Charcoal respiraiors, especially those when en-
brace both the osirils and the mouth, purify the air
by filtration and thereby deprive Il Of the noxioas
uiasuata which in unhealy localities II not unre-
quentiy contains They are lighter and more easy OF
construct on than the ordinary rcspirators and where
the breath is at all fed is usually the case IN dis-
ea,,s of tie chest throat &C., the dlsagreeable EMU
via are all absorbed by the charcoal, so that pure ar
aol Is Inspired.
A,rest variety Of instances might be mentioned m
which charcoal Tespiutors would certainly prove use
ful-as TO house-psintes, 10 persons requiring 70
traverse unhealthy districts, 10 nurses III Infectious
diseases etc. If the lower decks of ships were COW
cred with thin layer of fIoshy-Durned wood char
coal the sailor olld huye little 10 apprehend from
cholera, ship or yellow fever q. BREED.