IMPROVEMENTS IN THE PRESERVATION OF ANIMAL SUBSTANCES
Year: 1862

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Léo de la Peyrouse, of 13, Panton Square, in the
County of Middlesex, Manufacturer, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS
IN THE PRESERVATION OF ANIMAL SUBSTANCES."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Léo de la Peyrouse at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
26th March 1862.
I, LÉO DE LA PEYROUSE, of 13, Panton Square, in the County of Middle-
sex, Manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for
IMPROVEMENTS IN THE PRESERVATION OF ANIMAL SUBSTANCES," to be as follows:-
My improvements relate to the treatment of animal substances, which occur
in commerce, and which owing to the facility with which they undergo partial
or complete decomposition, become much depreciated in value either by being
housed, stored, or kept, or during their transportation. The animal substances
most frequently met with in commerce, and to which my improvements' more
particularly relate, are hides, skins, wool, either as fleeces or attached to the
skin, and either in grease or uncleansed, or cleansed furs, horsehair, and other
hair, feathers, suet, grease, fat, tallow, oils, or other animal, fatty, greasy, and
oily products or substances, bones, horns, hoofs, and such like.
In order to effect the preservation of the before-mentioned substances either
when in their natural condition; or when dried or salted, I subject the same
to the following process, which may be modified as circumstances may require.

page_text: I employ solutions of the compounds of chlorine with magnesium, such as the
chlorate of magnesia, or the hypochlorite of magnesia, or the products resulting
from the decomposition of a solution of the said compound in water, or the
chloride of magnesium; these compounds are employed either alone or
admixtures of the same, or in conjunction or combination with other chlorides
either of the metals, or of the alkaline earths, or of the alkalies, or with other
soluble salts of the metals of the alkaline earths, or of the alkalies, but by
preference I employ the soluble. chlorides above mentioned. The amount of
chloride of magnesium, of the chlorate of magnesia, and of the hypochlorite of
magnesia contained in the several solutions employed either when they are
used alone, or used in combination, or in conjunction with the other salts or
compounds herein mentioned for the purposes herein-before described, may
vary in proportion with the nature of the substance to be treated, but I have
found solutions containing from 3 to 10 per cent. of the salts above mentioned
to answer.
The manner in which I carry out my improvements is the following:-The
animal matters or substances before mentioned may either be immersed in
solutions of the before-mentioned compounds, or they may be moistened or
damped with the solutions, or they may be treated in any convenient manner,
but I prefer immersion when possible. In such cases when immersion is not
practicable, I employ incorporation, and for this purpose solutions of the
before-mentioned compounds are incorporated with. substances such as fats,
oils, and other like substances before mentioned.
-SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed.
by the said Léo de la Peyrouse in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 2
25th September 1862.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, LÉO DE
LA PEYROUSE, of 13, Panton Square, in the County of, Middlesex,. Manufac
turer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-sixth day of March, in the year of our: Lord.
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-two, in the twenty-fifth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors; give and grant unto me,
the said Léo de la Peyrouse, Her special licence, that I, the said. Léo de
la Peyrouse, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such. others.as
I, the said Léo de la Peyrouse, my executors, administrators, and assigns,.

page_text: 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 "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN THE PRESERVATION OF ANIMAL SUBSTANCES," upon the condition
(amongst others) that I, the said Léo de la Peyrouse, 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 Léo de la Peyrouse, do hereby declare-
the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement thereof, that is to say:
My improvements relate to the treatment of animal substances which occur
in commerce, and which owing to the facility with which they undergo partial
or complete decomposition become much depreciated in value either by being
housed, stored, or kept, or during their transportation. The animal substances
most frequently met with in commerce, and to which my improvements more
particularly relate, are hides, skins, wool, either as fleeces, or attached to the
skin, and either in grease or uncleansed, or cleansed furs, horsehair, and other
hair, feathers, suet, grease, fat, tallow, oils, or other animal fatty, greasy, and
oily products or substances, bones, horns, hoofs, and such like.
In order to effect the preservation of the before-mentioned substances
either when in their natural condition, or when dried or salted, I subject the
same to the following process, which may be modified as circumstances may
require. I employ_solutions of the compounds of chlorine with magnesium,
such as the chlorate of magnesia, or the hypochlorite of magnesia, or the pro-.
ducts resulting from a decomposition of a solution of the said compound in
water, or the chloride of magnesium; these compounds are employed either
alone or as admixtures of the same, or in conjunction or combination with
other chlorides, either of the metals, or of the alkaline earths, or of the alkalies,
or with other soluble salts of the metals of the alkaline earths, or of the
alkalies, but by preference I employ the soluble chlorides above mentioned. .
The amount of chloride of magnesium, of the chlorate of magnesia, and of.the
bypochlorite of magnesia contained in the several solutions employed either when
they are used alone, or are used in combination or in conjunction with the other

page_text: salts; and compounds herein mentioned for the purposes herein-before described,
may vary in proportion with the nature of the substance to be treated.
“
And in order that my said Invention may be more fully understood and
readily carried into effect, I will proceed to describe the several manners in
which I prefer to conduct the process according to the nature of the animal
substance to be treated.
The combination of magnesium and chlorine which I find to have the most
energetic effect is the hypochlorite, but this salt at the present time is some-
what expensive, and difficult to obtain. Practically, I prefer to employ the
double chloride'òf magnesium and zinc, as this salt is readily obtained, and
effects satisfactorily. the change required in the animal substance treated. If
other combinations of chlorine and magnesium be employed, the proportions
must be varied.
In treating hides, skins, and furs, if it be desired to prepare hides or skins
suitable for transport, or for storing in a fresh state, the hides or skins should-
be soaked in a bath prepared by dissolving the preservative salt in water for a
period of from 2 to 24 hours, according to the thickness of the hides or skins,
the climate of the country, and the length of time for which it is necessary to
preserve them. The quantity of preservative salts will vary from 5 to 8 per
cent. of the weight of the leather, hides, or skins to be treated. If the hides
or skins are to be prepared for transport by salting, either green or dry, on
coming out of the preserving bath the excess of liquid is allowed to drain off,
when they may be shipped or warehoused. If the hides or skins are to be
transported in a dry state, on coming out of the preservative, in which even
ox hides need not remain more than six hours, they are dried in the ordinary
imanner. If the hides or skins to be preserved have already been green
salted, they should be treated in the same manner as fresh hides or skins; if
they have been salted and dried, it is desirable to use a rather. concentrated
solution, say, containing from 15 to 18 per cent. of the preservative salt, this
is spread or sprinkled on. one. of the two. surfaces of the hide or skin in
such quantity that it will not run off therefrom; the hides or skins are left
in this manner folded the one on the other during from 24 to 48 hours, and
then the other sides of the hides or skins are treated in a similar manner. If
the hides or skins are dry they should be soaked in the preservative liquid for
some hours,. and redried immediately after. The hides and skins. should not
in any case be rinsed in water after coming out of the preservative bath. By
the treatment above described a change is effected in the hide or skin. which
prevents decomposition, and also causes the hide or skin to tan more readily,
and produce a beavier and better leather. Wools either in the grease or

page_text: otherwise may be treated either by sprinkling with the preservative liquid, or
by immersion in that liquid, but in all cases the liquid with which the wool is
sprinkled, or into which it is immersed, should contain at least six per cent. of
the preservative salt in relation to the weight of the wools to be treated. If
sprinkling be resorted to, the wool will be spread on the ground in a layer, of
which the thickness will not exceed one or two inches, and watered-with-a
solution in such manner that the solution may moisten the wool as evenly as
possible; the watering being complete, the wool will be collected together in
a heap, and allowed to stand so moistened for from one to three days. After-
wards the wool will be dried and made up into bales. Wool thus treated will
be found to be so changed as not to be liable to spontaneous combustion, or
the attacks of insects, it will also comb and work more freely, and with less oil
than wool not thus treated.
..Hairs and feathers are best treated by soaking in a solution containing 10
per.cent. of preservative salt, they are left in the solution for: from 8 to 12
hours, then dried and made up into bales; wool may be similarly treated.
In treating suet, that is to say, unmelted tallow, it should. soaked for 48
hours in a solution containing 15 to 20 per cent. of the weight of the suet of
preservative salt, and on coming out of the bath it can then be pressed into a
block for facility of transport. With tallow and animal or vegetable grease.
and oils, 6 to 10 per cent. of the preservative salt is added to the material,
which is melted by heat if it does not exist naturally in a liquid state, and the
salt is dissolved therein, mixed up as completely as possible with the material.
The tallow thus prepared will. be white and indorous, and will by the treat-
ment be changed, so that when manufactured it will yield more stearic acid
or other hard fats, and less oleic acid than tallow not so treated.
Greases will be similarly improved, and animal oils thus treated will
remain clear without being treated with acids, and there will be no danger of
the barrels in which they are packed being burst. Oils thus treated may be
employed for lubricating machines, which is not the case with oils treated
with acid.
Bones, horns, hoofs, and other similar solid animal matters will be treated
by immersion in a solution containing 20 per cent. of the preservative salt, in
which they will be kept for 48 hours, or as long as may be found convenient.
On coming out of the bath they are ready for shipment or warehousing. The
treating bones and similar substances in this manner will save much time and
trouble in preparing them for shipment, and bones so prepared are so changed
that they preserve their color much better than bones not so prepared, so that
their market value is increased.

page_text: I would remark that in all cases the preservative bath in which animal
matters have been soaked may be kept, and again and again until it com-
mences to emit a bad odour, small quantities of the preservative salt being
added from time to time to keep the bath at its original strength. In order
that the bath may be kept pure for as long a time as possible, it is frequently
advisable to rinse and wash the animal matters in water before submitting
them to the preserving process. I would also remark that the combination of
magnesium and chlorine need not be employed as such, it may result from
double decomposition, as, for example, if the bath be formed of sulphate of
magnesia and chloride of calcium, there will result from double decomposition
chloride of magnesium and sulphate of lime.
What I claim is, the treating hides, skins, wool, fur, hair, feathers, animal,
fatty, greasy, and oily substances, bones, horns, hoofs, and other animal
substances with a combination of magnesium and chlorine, either alone or in
conjunction with other substances, so as to change and preserve the same, as
above described.
In witness whereof; I, the said Léo de la Peyrouse, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Twenty-third day of September, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-two.
L. DE LA PEYROUSE. (L.S.)