IMPROVED DISINFECTING OR FUMIGATING CANDLES AND PASTILES
Year: 1874

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Frank Wirth, of the Firm of Wirth and Co.,
Patent Agency, of Frankfort-on-the-Main, in the Empire of Germany,
for the Invention of "IMPROVED DISINFECTING OR FUMIGATING CANDLES
AND PASTILES." -A communication from William Reissig, Doctor
Sealed the 12th February 1875, and dated the 22nd August 1874.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Frank Wirth at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
22nd August 1874.
I, FRANK WIRTH, of the Firm of Wirth & Co., Patent Agency,
5 of Frankfort-on-the-Main, in the Empire of Germany, do hereby declare
the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVED, DISINFECTING OR FUMIGATING
CANDLES AND PASTILES," a communication. from William Reissig, Doctor of
Philosophy, a person resident at Darmstadt, in the Empire of Germany,
to be as follows:-
)
The object of this Invention is to obtain candles and pastiles which
when ignited give off a continuous current of sulphurous acid gas for
disinfecting and fumigating purposes.

page_text: The materials used for obtaining the carbonaceous matter are solid
vegetable and animal fats, solid fatty acids, solid paraffines, spermaceti,
and the various kinds of vegetable or animal wax, and these different
substances may
be either used separately or mixed with one another,
and also mixed, when desired, with resins, gum resins, naphthaline, or
similar solid hydrocarbons, but of all the various substances I prefer
stearic acid or paraffines. To any of these simple or compound
substances I add sulphur free from arsenic, or organic compounds con-
taining sulphur, such as sulpho-naphthalide, or sulpho-benzide, or others
of a similar nature.
To prepare the disinfecting candles I incorporate any of the fatty
matters, or their "equivalents," with 2-20 per cent. sulphur or organic
sulphides, for other purposes 25-80%, either by fusing the matter
and the sulphur together, or by mixing them in a finely powdered
state, or by mixing the materials with sulphur dissolved in sulphide
of carbon or other well known solvent, the incorporation taking
place with or without the application of heat, and the mixtures
obtained formed into candles by the well known methods of moulding or
dipping.
For making the disinfecting or fumigating pastiles 50% sulphur,
25% pyrites, 10% black wad, 15 % pumice or pubble powder. I take
in a finely powdered state coal, shale, lignite, peat, wood, charcoal,
resins, and similar matters, and first mix them separately or combined
with pure sulphur, powdered pyrites, or any other innoxious sulphur
compound or metallic sulphides, which when heated with the carbon-
aceous matters give off sulphurous acid gas, and then mix with this
compound oxidizing agents, such as peroxide of manganese, saltpetre,
oxide of copper, and porous bodies, such as finely divided silica, powdered
pumicestone, or similar matters. The different substances after being
mixed as desired are formed into pastiles, either by pressure or by a paste
or solution made of starch or different kinds of gum, glue, gelatine; and
when the pastiles are burning they give off sulphurous acid gas.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Frank Wirth in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 19th February 1875.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, FRANK
WIRTH, of the Firm of Wirth & Co., Patent Agency, of Frankfort-on-
the-Main, in the Empire of Germany, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-second day of August, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-four, in the thirty-
eighth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto me, the said Frank Wirth, Her special licence that
I, the said Frank Wirth, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or
such others as I, the said Frank Wirth, my executors, administrators,
and assigns, should at any time agree with, and no others, from time
to time and at all times thereafter during the term therein expressed,
should and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and vend, within the
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, the Channel Islands,
and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVED DISINFECTING OR FUMIGATING
CANDLES AND PASTILS," a communication from William Reissig, Doctor
of Philosophy, a person resident at Darmstadt, in the Empire of
Germany, upon the condition (amongst others) that I; the said Frank
Wirth, my executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing
under my, or their, or one of their hands and seals, should particularly
describe and ascertain the nature of the said Invention, and in what
manner the same was to be performed, and cause the same to be filed
in the Great Seal Patent Office within six calendar months next and
immediately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Frank Wirth, do hereby declare
the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to
be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by
the following statement :--
320
My Invention consists in new compositions (first), for preparing a
peculiar kind of candles, which I call " disinfecting candles; and
(second), a peculiar kind of fumigating pastils (or plates, or cylinders),
which I call "disinfecting pastils." The peculiarity of these prepara-
tions is that during their combustion they produce a continuous current

page_text: of (dilute) sulphurous acid, the quantity of which however may be
readily increased or diminished as is desired for disinfecting, bleaching,
and other technical purposes.
Process for the Preparation of the so called "Disinfecting Candles."-
The materials which may be used for preparing the so called disinfecting
candles are, first, all solid vegetable or animal fats, as well as the solid,
fatty acids which may be obtained from them, such as palmic acid,
stearic acid, and the like; second, solid paraffins, which are either
extracted from coal tar or petroleum, or exit in nature (ozokerite and
the like); third, the different kinds of vegetable or animal wax; or,
fourth, spermaceti. These different substances are used either pure or
mixed with resins, gum resins, naphthaline, or similar solid hydro-
carbons. For the preparation of the disinfecting candles I prefer
however, (first), stearic acid, or (second), paraffine. To the above-
mentioned materials I add pure sulphur which is free from arsenic or
organic compounds containing sulphur, such as sulpho-naphthalide,
sulpho-benzide, and the like.
In order to prepare the disinfecting candles, first, I impregnate the
above-named materials (fats and the like) in the pure state or mixed
with another with sulphur, either by fusing them together or by mixing
them in a finely powdered state; second, I mix the above-named
materials (fats and the like) with sulphur which is dissolved in one of its
well known solvents (such as sulphide of carbon or similar substance),
which is then removed by evaporation; third, I incorporate the above-
named sulpho compounds with the above-named materials, either with
or without the application of heat. The mixtures thus obtained arc
then formed into candles by the known methods of moulding or dipping.
If desired the wicks are made to be containing sulphur or sulpho com-
pounds by the known methods of mechanically or other impregnation;
also they can be perfumed by the known methods.
Process for the Preparation of the Fumigating Pastils (or Plates, or
Cylinders), so called Disinfecting Pastils."-The materials which may
be used for the preparation of the so called disinfecting (fumigating)
pastils are all kinds of coal, bituminous slate, lignite, peat, and similar
kind of fuel, all different kinds of charcoal and finely powdered wood,
resins, which are mixed with pure sulphur free from arsenic, or powdered
pyrites, or any other innoxious, inorganic sulphur compound, which

page_text: when mixed with the substances mentioned above yield on combustion
sulphurous acid. Such substances are, for example (first), those metallic
sulphides which by the action of heat are decomposed with the separa-
tion of free sulphur, which then undergoes combustion; or (second),
metallic sulphates (such as sulphate of copper, on the like), which when
heated with charcoal gives off directly sulphurous acid. First, these
different kinds of materials I mix (first) with oxidizing agents, such as
peroxide of manganese, saltpetre, oxide of copper, and the like; and
(second) porous bodies, such as finely divided silica (kiselguhr), powdered
pumicestone, and the like; or (third) I mix pure sulphur free from arsenic
with clay, gypsum, or any other plastic material, with or without the
addition of oxidising agents. The different mixtures after being mixed
in the right proportions are formed into pastils, or plates, or cylinders,
either by pressing in a dry or humid state, or by means of a paste or
solution made of starch or different kinds of gum, gelatine, and the like.
Having now described the nature of my Invention, and the manner in
which the same is to be performed, I wish it to be understood that I do
not claim in my Patent the preparation of sulphurous and by combustion
nor its application for disinfecting and technical purposes; but I claim
as my Invention, the preparation of new compositions for preparing
(first) candles, and (second) fumigating pastils (or plates, or cylinders),
being new industrial products which are used for the preparation of
sulphurous acid, which during the combustion of the new composition
is given off continuously. Being obtained in a more or less dilute state
the current can be easily regulated, and thus any excitement of respi-
ratory organs is easily prevented. Further, the application of the said
candles and pastils is less .dangerous than any other mode of burning
sulphur, or mixtures, or compounds containing sulphur.
In witness whereof, I, the said Frank Wirth, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Thirteenth day of February, in the year
of our Lord One thousand cight hundred and seventy-five.