An Improved Apparatus for Generating and Delivering Medicinal, Anaesthetic, and other Vapours.
Year: 1891

page_text: Date of Application, 30th Apr., 1891-Accepted, 13th June, 1891
An Improved Apparatus for Generating and Delivering Medicinal,
Anaesthetic, and other Vapours.
I, LUDOVICA WALLEISER of 14 Chemnitzer Street, Dresden German Empire,
Hospital Doctor, 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 :-
This invention relates to an apparatus for generating and delivering medicinal,
anaesthetic and other vapours. The apparatus is : pecially adapted for use in places
where no boiler can be had. The vapours generated may be sprayed, inhaled or be
used for disinfecting and other
purposes.
The apparatus is specially suitable for infirmaries, hospitals, lazarettos etc., but it
may he used equally well when nursing sick people in private houses. It will also
be found useful in schools, institutions, work rooms etc., and in all interiors or places
where it is necessary to disinfect or purify the air.
The apparatus can be made to produce a pure vapour, suitable for vapour-baths
in any available room, but it is mainly designed to spray or diffuse liquid medicines
in the form of vapour and thus to render the medicines suitable for inhaling,
disinfecting and other purposes.
In places, where there are no steam vessels, the only apparatuses, at present,
generally available for inhaling and the like are those constructed with a steam or
vapour generator and delivery pipe. The jet of steam or vapour from the delivery
pipe being caused to suck up and spray, on the injector principle, liquid medicine
conducted by, or drawn up, a pipe from a basin or like receptacle.
The
An apparatus of this construction will not work unless the two pipes are in a
certain position relative to one another, which often causes some difficulty, while
the narrow pipes often become choked and burst the small generator.
apparatuses used at present also produce a cold and wet vapour which is inconvenient
and injurious to the patient in bed. The patient also cannot use his apparatus but
in a certain upright position, seeing the generator is heated by spirit which must
be done out of the bed. Another drawback is the application of a funnel to bring
the medicinal spray to the patient, which is both inconvenient and wearisome for
the latter. Such apparatuses also require to be continually re-filled during which
periods the operation of inhaling has often to be interrupted.
All these drawbacks are avoided in using the new apparatus.
The improved apparatus produces a warm and dry vapour as the products of
condensation are led away before the vapour escapes. The liquid medicines may
also be sprayed in such a way as to allow the patient to remain in his lying position
while being involved in the vapour and the medicines diffused. The medicated
vapour may be directed towards certain spots by turning the pipes into any desired
direction. The apparatus being on wheels can be easily pushed forward to any
place, for instance from bed to bed, in order to touch the patient (who might be
resting or otherwise occupying himself) with the vapour from a greater or smaller
distance, or to involve him therein according as the prescribed treatment
requires.
The apparatus can be used with absolute safety. It may be fitted with any
number of delivery pipes, in order to (1) direct large quantities of medicated vapour
towards the patient, or (2) to quickly fill a room with large quantities of vaporized
or sprayed disinfectants, or (3) to allow a number of patients to inhale the same or
different medicines at one and the same time.
The construction of the apparatus is as follows, reference being had to the
accompanying drawing which shows the apparatus in section.
There is a box a running on wheels or castors. On this box is secured the
boiler b, which is heated from the dish c. The dish c has vent-holes and is supplied

page_text: with spirit through the pipe from the spirit-reservoir e which possesses a regulating
valve turned by a disc d' or handle at its upper end.
The boiler may be heated in any suitable manner, thus for instance, where
there is a gas supply, the gas may be led through india-rubber pipes to one or
more circular or other burners placed beneath the boiler. The boiler is provided
with a water gauge, pressure gauge h, safety valve i, a cock for letting off the
water k, and a filling device l.
To the top of the boiler there are fitted as many pipes m as may be required for
diffusing vapour and they may each be provided with a stop cock. Surmounting
each pipe m is a vaporizing box o having a pipe p for conducting away any
condensed steam or vapour.
The pipe which is made with a number of perpendicular bends so as to form a
serpentine coil, leads the products of condensation to a gutter q, on the border of
the box (which is covered with tin), from whence the products can be run off by the
pipe r.
Each box is closed at top by a screw-lid s, to which the diffusing or spraying
pipe is fixed in a similar manner to a horizontally movable gas-bracket. The
short pipe
or nozzle u is also so fitted to the pipe t, that it may be turned round in
any direction, thus, by the compound movements of the pipes t, u, the vapour may
be delivered or directed in any desired direction. The small vessel » which is fitted
in the box o contains the medicine or disinfecting substance to be diffused or
vaporized, which latter is filled by taking off the lids and pouring in the liquid
medicine through a funnel or measure.
The steam or other vapour generated in the boiler passes by the pipe m to the
box o, involves the vessel v therein, heats the liquor in said vessel, causes the
liquor to evaporate, and then forces or blows the vapours through the delivery
pipe t, u.
When the heating flame is properly regulated, the apparatus will work auto-
matically, requiring only now and then a look at the height of water in the water
gauge, in order to tell when a fresh supply of water should be filled through the
filler. To fill water through the filler the top cock is opened and the bulb filled
up, then the top cock is shut and the bottom one is opened when the supply of water
in the bulb passes into the boiler.
As will be now understood the resting patient (or a number of patients at the
same time) can inhale the warm, dry medicated vapour without any interruption.
For each delivery pipe t there is a dish w held by a hinged arm w¹ to the box o.
These dishes are for collecting any drops of condensed vapour which may fall from
the nozzle u when it is not in use or is pointed downwards as in the figure. By
having dishes w the floor of the room is kept clean.
The loose parts of the apparatus may be kept in the drawers of the box a.
The vapour leaving the delivery pipes t. u. is not wet as with the former
apparatuses because (1) the products of condensation pass off through the pipe p
before entering the delivery pipe t, while the several water seals formed by the
convolutions of the pipe p do not allow any vapour to leave it, (2) because the
liquid medicine to be evaporated is heated in the vessel by the involving steam,
but not forced out as cold vapour as is the case with the former apparatuses.
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 :-
An apparatus for generating and delivering medicinal, anaesthetic and other
vapours constructed and operating substantially as hereinbefore set forth.
*1.1001
H. D. FITZPATRICK,
70, Wellington Street, Glasgow, Agent.
H. D. FITZPATRICK,
70, Wellington Street, Glasgow, Agent.