Year: 1887

page_text: ALLEN RIPLEY FOOTE, residing at 131, Garfield Place, Cincinnati, in the County
of Hamilton, and State of Ohio, one of the United States of America, gentleman, 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:
My invention relates particularly to that class of Inhalers used for volatile inhalents
and consists in the combination with a single receptacle of several tubes as hereinafter
described, by which a single Inhaler can be made to serve as an active Inhaler when
the patient draws the vapor into his own nostrils or throat, and as a passive Inhaler by
which the vapor is blown out by some one other than the patient.
I attain these objects by the mechanism illustrated in the accompanying drawings
in which :-
Figures, 1, 2, and, 3, are tubes for active inhalation. Figure, 1, being a throat
tube, figure, 2, a supply tube to convey air near the bottom of the reservoir, figure, 3,
nasal tube.
Figures, 4, 5; and, 6, are tubes for passive inhalation. 4, being the supply tube to
which a hose with a bulb can be attached. 5, 5, are tubes for directing the vapor to
any required point; 6, is one particularly designed for use in diphtheria.
Figure, 7, shows the receptacle or. bottle furnished with a stopper with perforations
to admit any one of the above mentioned tubes at will.
A sponge carried by a bent
wire and attached to the underside of the cork.
Figure, 8, shows the bottle provided with the nasal tube and the air supply tube
extended to pass the air through the contents of the bottle.
Figure, 9, shows the bottle provided with active inhalation tube and being used.
Figure, 10, shows the same bottle fitted with the interchangeable tube for passive
inhalation.
It is not claimed that either of these methods of inhalation are new or that separately
considered the tubes are new, but with all the old devices known up to the time of
this invention, different instruments have to be brought for the different sorts of
application in active and passive inhalation. By my invention all the different tubes

page_text: needed are furnished of the same size so that they are interchangeable and any and all
fit either of the openings in the stopper of the receptacle.
For reproducing the nascent chloride of ammonium, the receptacle or bottle is supplied
with a table spoonful of muriatic acid, (preferably chemically pure) and the sponge is
soaked in aqua ammonium. For active throat inhalation the bottle is fitted with either
the tube shown in figure, 1, alone, in which the air merely passes over the acid, and
the animonium, or with tubes, 1, and, 2, both, in which case the air is drawn down
through the acid before it passes the ammonium sponge.
For passive throat inhalation the bottle is to be used either with tube, 1, alone and
with, 1, and, 5, or with tubes, 4, &, 5, the former being coupled by a short hose to the
usual rubber air forcing bulb.
In the latter case the air is forced downward past the ammonium sponge and through
the acid before being driven out the end of tube, 5. The bent tubes, 5, give direction
to the current. It may also be coupled with a short hose at the end of which is a
duplicate of tube, 5. This latter form is particularly adapted for use in diphtheria
when it is not desirable that the nurse should come in close contact with the patient.
The end of tube, 5, could be made of course to enter the mouth or nostril of the
patient, but this is not needed as the air soon becomes filled with clouds of crystals
of nascent chloride of ammonium.
For use with menthol, a drachm of menthol crystals can be put dry into the
reservoir of the inhaler and two ounces of water at, 70°, to, 80°, added. It will then
be ready for active inhalation or passive with the proper tubes.
Tubes, 1, and, 4, can also be utilized for drinking tubes. The stopper of the inhaler
bottle is made of wood coated with an acid proof enamel. The uses to which the
bottle with its six different sorts of tubes may be applied is only limited by the
inventive genius of the physician. With the present apparatus all the treatments can
be readily made which formerly required the purchase of several complete instruments
& thus not only expense, but space is economized, & also they become necessary at
different stages of a treatment.
With the set of tubes described, used singly or in different combinations, all currents
of air can be produced & controlled that can be used in active (throat or nasal) or
passive inhalation. Farther, the air currents can be. made to pass over or through
the contents of the vessel or reservoir, thus adapting the apparatus to be used with
any volatile inhalent.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said invention
and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I claim is
:-
1st. The inhaler vessel, with the double orificed cork or stopper combined with the
set of tubes, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and, 6, all as and for the purpose described.
2nd. The inhaler, vessel, combined with the perforated wooden cork coated with
acid proof enamel and carrying the sponge and tubes, all, substantially as and for the
purpose specified.
3rd. The double orificed, enamelled, acid-proof cork or stopper combined with the
inhaling vessel and tubes, substantially as and for the purpose specified.