Improvements in and relating to Materials and Apparatus for Disinfecting Purposes.
Year: 1896

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in and relating to Materials and Apparatus for
Disinfecting Purposes.
We, RICHARD GOEHDE, of Leipzigerstrasse, Berlin, Engineer, and HEINRICH
OPPERMANN, of 20 Franzstrasse Bernburg, Doctor of Philosophy, both in the
German Empire, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:
The present application for Letters Patent relates to means and apparatus for
the disinfection of places, especially of dwelling rooms, hospital wards, and other
apartments, as also of articles of furniture, wearing apparel, articles of con-
The invention
sumption, and other objects in a quick and effective manner.
consists essentially in:
1. A new means for sterilizing, to which is applied the name of "holzin" or
"holzinol" and which consists essentially of a more or less saturated solution of
menthol in methyl-alcohol to which a certain proportion of formaldehyde has
been added.
2. An evaporation apparatus for the diffusion of the disinfecting fluid con-
sisting of a dropping mechanism for the same, a dish or plate of asbestos cloth,
or other suitable substance devised to receive the liquid dropping automatically
and regularly thereupon, and exposing it in a very extended surface to the action
of heat radiations or waves so as to effect the rapid evaporation of the liquid, and
secondly its diffusion throughout to surrounding air which will be thereby dis-
infected or sterilized.
The dropping mechanism for the fluid, as well as the heating apparatus for
the dish or receptacle may be of any suitable kind.
1000
W. P. THOMPSON & Co.,
322 High Holborn, London, W.C., Patent Agents for the Applicants.
Improvements in and relating to Materials and Apparatus for
Disinfecting Purposes.
We, RICHARD GOEHDE, of Leipzigerstrasse, Berlin, Engineer, and HEINRICH
OPPERMANN, of 20 Franzstrasse Bernburg, Doctor of Philosophy, both in the
German Empire, 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 present application for Letters Patent relates to means and apparatus for
the disinfection of places, especially of dwelling rooms, hospital wards, and other
apartments, as also of articles of furniture, wearing apparel, articles of con-

page_text: sumption, and other objects in a quick and effective manner. The invention
consists essentially in:-
1. A new means for sterilizing, to which is applied the name of "holzin " or
"holzinol" and which consists essentially of a more or less saturated solution of
menthol in methyl-alcohol to which a certain proportion of formaldehyde has
been added.
2. An evaporation apparatus for the diffusion of the disinfecting fluid con-
sisting of a dropping mechanism for the same, a dish or plate of asbestos cloth,
or other suitable substance devised to receive the liquid dropping automatically
and regularly thereupon, and exposing it in a very extended surface to the action
of heat radiations or waves so as to effect the rapid evaporation of the liquid, and
secondly its diffusion throughout the surrounding air which will be thereby dis-
infected or sterilized.
For
The new sterilizing means or liquor consist in a solution of formic aldehyde
in methylic alcohol which also contains in solution a camphor capable of neutralis-
ing the action of the aldehyde on mucous membranes, such as menthol and
its known equivalents. The proportion of said camphor in relation to the formic
aldehyde may vary within wide limits depending upon the special circumstances
under which the liquor is to be made use of. In one form the proportion of
menthol may be from 1 to 5%, in another from 10% to 50% or more.
instance, if a room is to be sterilized while occupied by persons a liquor is employed
which contains a large proportion of menthol say about 40% to 50% In general
we prefer to provide for in the liquor as much formic aldehyde as is capable of
being absorbed by the dissolvent, so as to dispose of a saturated solution, and
to regulate the admixture of menthol according to circumstances.
methylic alcohol dissolves as much as 60% of formic aldehyde.
As known
The method of preparing the liquor consists in forming a mixture of formic
aldehyde and menthol by means of methylic alcohol, being a dissolvent for both,
This may be done by first causing methylic alcohol to absorb gaseous formic
aldehyde until saturation is reached and then adding the required, proportion of
menthol, or the latter may first be dissolved in methylic alcohol and then this
solution saturated with formic aldehyde. Obviously the liquid need not be
saturated with formic aldehyde.
The described liquor is adapted for sterilizing rooms as well as such objects
and products as are not chemically affected by formic aldehyde. It is brought
into action by subjecting it to vaporisation within the room to be sterilized, or
by vaporizing it and conducting the vapours to the object or product to be acted
upon.
On the annexed sheet of drawings is represented by way of example an evapora-
tion apparatus or vaporizer for the described liquor adapted for use in rooms and
which is so devised that it produces a rapid vaporisation of a small quantity of
liquor which is automatically renewed in short intervals.
Fig. 1 is a sectional elevation of the said vaporizer, and Fig. 2 a horizontal
section according to 2-2 Fig. 1, seen from below.
The apparatus consists in the combination of a vaporizing plate with a heating
device arranged below and a liquor-supply arranged above."
In the figures the heating device is supposed to be a gas-burner surrounded
with a mantle a of sheet metal having orifices a at the bottom for the admission
of air, and orifices a² at the top for the exit of the combustion products. b is the
vaporizing plate preferably of circular shape. The same is constructed with a
refractory material which is sufficiently porous for readily absorbing liquid so
that the latter is exposed in a state of minute subdivision to the action of the
heat. We prefer to construct the plate 6 with asbestos felt or asbestos cloth.
Moreover, it has been found advantageous to use a plate having a dish-form, as
represented in Fig. 1. The plate is held in place by being secured with its edge
to the upper edge of an inverted truncated cone b₁ of sheet metal, the under part
of which is cylindrical so as to tightly fit into the mantle a, in the upper end of

page_text: which it is inserted. Thus the cone 6' forms a heating chamber closed at the
top by the vaporizing plate b.
At a convenient distance above the vaporizing plate is arranged a vessel or
reservoir c which contains a provision of liquor and is combined with a device for
causing the liquor to fall drop by drop to the asbestos plate b. By virtue of the
porous condition of said plate, the drop in reaching it, is at once absorbed and
being thus exposed in a state of very iine subdivision to the action of the heat,
it is rapidly and completely vaporized.
In the apparatus shown the reservoir consists in a small inverted glass-flask
closed by a stopper 3 and held in a ring c¹ fixed to the cone 6 by means of the
arin c. The flask is not completely filled with liquor so that an empty space
exists at the top. The stopper is provided with two bores, and through these
are inserted two small glass tubes d and d, which are open at both ends. The
tube d is short so that its inner end does not project beyond the inner surface
of the stopper, whilst the tube d¹ has such a length that its inner end projects
beyond the highest level of the liquor into the said empty space. Under the
action of gravity liquor descends through tube d and accumulates at the outer
opening of same as a drop which will finally be detached by its own weight and
fall to the plate b where it is vaporized. As the outer air has free access through
the tube to the empty space above the level of the liquor, the latter is allowed
to exude drop for drop from the lower end of the tube d.
It is obvious that the reservoir may be combined with a different form of drop
meter and heating apparatus for the dish or plate . The essential and novel
feature of the evaporation apparatus is embodied by the asbestos plate.
Further the described process may be availed of for the preparation of liquors
with other gaseous agents, and the described apparatus may be used with such
different liquors.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed we declare that what
we claim is:
1. As a new compound for sterilizing purposes a liquor composed of formic
aldehyde as sterilizing agent, menthol as neutraliser of the bad effect of said
aldehyde upon mucous membranes, and methylic alcohol as dissolvent for both,
substantially as described.
2. The combination, with a heater, of a refractory porous vapourizing plate, a
reservoir arranged above said plate and containing a provision of liquor, and
a device for causing the liquor to regularly drop from the reservoir to the said
porous vaporizing plate, comprising a stopper for closing the reservoir provided
with bores and long and short tubes inserted in the bores thereof; substantially
as described.
Dated the 19th dose of I...... 100%
W. P. THOMPSON & Co.,
Of London, Liverpool, Manchester and Birmingham,
Patent Agents for the Applicants.