A New Method of Treating Cotton Wool, Lint, Gauze, Wood Fibre, Tow, Bandages, Flannel, Sponges, and similar Substances used for Medical and Surgical Purposes, in order to render them Antiseptic.
Year: 1893

page_text: Date of Application, 2nd Aug., 1893
Complete Specification Left, 1st June, 1894-Accepted, 7th July, 1894
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
A New Method of Treating Cotton Wool, Lint, Gauze, Wood Fibre,
Tow, Bandages, Flannel, Sponges, and similar Substances used
for Medical and Surgical Purposes, in order to render them
Antiseptic.
I, MEDWIN CASPAR CLUTTERBUCK B.Sc. Lond. Ph. D. Mona House Dallow
Chemical Works Burton on Trent Scientific Chemist do hereby declare the nature
of this invention to be as follows:-
The substance or substances to be treated, which may or may not have been
previously treated with other disinfecting agents, are placed in a suitable vessel or
chamber & subjected to the action of sulphur dioxide gas & ammonia gas alternately
or at the same time. These gases are obtained by any of the ordinary methods, or
a mixture of the two gases may be introduced by volatilising ammonic sulphite.
When a sufficient amount of ammonic sulphite has been formed in the pores &
around the fibres of the substance or substances, the operation is discontinued, and
should there be an excess of ammonia gas it is removed by a current of dry air, the
process is then complete.
Dated this 31st day of July 1893.
MEDWIN CASPAR CLUTTERBUCK.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
A New Method of Treating Cotton Wool, Lint, Gauze, Wood Fibre,
Tow, Bandages, Flannel, Sponges, and similar Substances used
for Medical and Surgical Purposes, in order to render them
Antiseptic.
I, MEDWIN CASPAR CLUTTERBUCK B.Sc. Lond. Ph. D. Strasbg. 58 Spring-
field Road Preston, Brighton Lecturer on Chemistry to the Municipal School of
Science and Art Brighton do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in
what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and
ascertained in and by the following statement :-
The substance or substances to be treated which may or may not have been
previously treated with other disinfecting or antiseptic agents, are placed in a
suitable vessel or chamber and subjected to the action of sulphur dioxide gas and
ammonia gas alternately or at the same time. These gases are obtained by any of
the ordinary methods or a mixture of the two gases may be introduced by
volatilising ammonic sulphite. When a sufficient amount of ammonic sulphite has
been formed in the pores and around the fibres of the substance or substances the
operation is discontinued and should there be an excess of sulphur dioxide gas or
ammonia gas such excess may be removed by exposing the substance to a current
of air or by passing in a sufficient amount of the gas which is not in excess to
neutralise the gas which is. The process is then complete.
I would further note that the words ammonic sulphite are here used in the same
sense in which ammonic carbonate is used commercially to denote either the true
ammonic sulphite or ammonic thiamate or a mixture of these two according to
whether there is sufficient moisture present to form the one or the other of the two
compounds.

page_text: Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is
That whereas sulphur dioxide though a well known disinfecting agent is gaseous
and therefore fugitive, I fix it in the substance treated by forming therein a solid
ammonia compound of the said sulphur dioxide gas in the manner hereinbefore
explained.
Dated this 1st day of June 1894
M. C. CLUTTERBUCK.