Improvements in Inhalatory Appliances for Use in the Treatment of Diseases and Affections of the Respiratory Organs.
Year: 1896

page_text: Date of Application, 15th Apr.. 1896
Complete Specification Left, 15th Jan., 1897-Accepted, 20th Mar., 1897
Improvements in Inhalatory Appliances for Use in the Treatment
of Diseases and Affections of the Respiratory Organs.
We ARTHUR MAJOR HUGILL and JOHN OVERTON, both of the Firm of R. Sumner
& Co., Wholesale and Export Druggists, of 50 Lord Street, Liverpool, in the County
of Lancaster, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
Our said invention relates to improvements in means or appliances for treating
diseases and affections of the respiratory organs by inhalation. The appliance which
we use, consists of a hollow cylinder with an air inlet at one end and an outlet at the
other end. By preference we make the outlet smaller than the inlet and as the hollow
cylinder is made sufficiently large to contain some head of pressure and thus act as a
receiver, the delivery at the outlet is constant and unvaried even although the supply
of air through the outlet may be slightly irregular. The inlet nozzle is preferably
screwed into the reduced end of the hollow cylinder and carries a piece of metal
tubing finely perforated which projects forward into the hollow cylinder and is
preserved concentric therewith.
The inlet nozzle is also connected by flexible or other tubing with bellows, or any
other suitable air forcing or blowing apparatus. The outlet nozzle is connected by
similar tubing with a mouthpiece which can be placed over the mouth or mouth and
nostrils of the patient. The mouthpiece inlet is preferably furnished with a wire
gauze or perforated diffusing screen which breaks up, softens and diffuses the entering
current of air. The perforated tube which projects as aforesaid into the hollow
cylinder is wrapped in lint or other suitable fabric or substance permeable to air, the
said lint or other material having been previously soaked in or impregnated with a
suitable medicament adapted to act beneficially upon the lungs or respiratory organs.
The lint or other wrapping on the tube also serves as a filter to purify the air coming
from the bellows or air forcer and rid it of all dust or irritating foreign particles. In
using the appliance the patient may himself work the bellows or air forcing means by
a treadle or the like. The air is thus forced through the inlet nozzle of the hollow
cylinder into the perforated tube with its applied jacketing of medicated lint or other
material. In passing through the lint, the air is filtered and picks up the essence
of the medicament. The volume of medicated air under pressure in the cylinder
escapes through the outlet nozzle to the mouthpiece from which it is inhaled by the
patient. The pressure of medicated air in the mouth piece is sufficient to allow of
easy and effortless inhalation, and the pressure behind each inspiration causes the
medicated air to find its way to cells in the lungs which, in the case of consumptive
patients for example, have hecome entirely disused. Thus in virtue of the curative
effects of the medicaments employed and also by the more thorough use of the organs
of respiration and consequent increase in the oxygenation of the blood, the sources of
disease are directly attacked and the vitality of the patient increased at the same
operation. The medicated lint can from time to time be removed and renewed.
In addition to its uses as a curative agent in the treatment of consumption and
espiratory diseases, our improved appliance might be employed by vocalists and
public speakers to relieve or remove temporary throat or laryngeal troubles or
trains.

page_text: The hollow cylinder and other metal parts might be made of aluminium for the sake-
of lightness, and the whole arrangement including cylinder, mouthpiece and air forcer
might be neatly packed in one small portable case.
Dated the 14th day of April 1806
Improvements in Inhalatory Appliances for Use in the Treatment
of Diseases and Affections of the Respiratory Organs.
We ARTHUR MAJOR HUGILL and JOHN OVERTON, both of the Firm of R. Sumner
& Co., Wholesale and Export Druggists, of 50 Lord Street, Liverpool, in the County
of Lancaster, 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 and accompanying drawings:-
Our said invention relates to improvements in means or appliances for treating
diseases and affections of the respiratory organs by inhalation.
For the purpose of rendering our improved appliance clear we have attached
hereunto a sheet of illustrative drawings to which we will refer in the course of the
following description.
Fig. 1 shows our complete appliance in the act of being used. The figure shows
the user in an erect position, but as a rule the patient would seat himself and place the
cylinder on a table.
Fig: 2 is a sectional view of the inhaler cylinder.
Fig. 3 is a separate view of the inner perforated tube.
Fig. 4 is an external view of the mouthpiece.
Fig. 5 is a front view of the mouthpiece.
The appliance consists of a hollow cylinder a with an air inlet b at one end and an
outlet c at the other end.
By preference we make the outlet c smaller than the inlet and as the hollow
cylinder a is made sufficiently large to contain some head of pressure and thus act as
a receiver, the delivery at the outlet c is constant and unvaried even although the
supply of air through the inlet b may be slightly irregular. The inlet nozzle is
preferably screwed into a sleeve d which sleeve d screws into the tapered end of the
hollow cylinder a the said sleeve carrying a piece of metal tubing e, finely perforated,
which projects forward into the hollow cylinder a, as shown in Fig. 2, and is preserved
concentric therewith. The inlet nozzle is also connected by flexible or other
tubing with bellows g. (see Fig. 1) or any other suitable air forcing or blowing
apparatus. The sleeve d contains a back pressure valve m held down on its seat by a
spring n. The said valve can open to admit the entering air but will not allow of
return of air.. The outlet nozzle c which is governed by a stop cock o is connected by
similar tubing with a mouth piece h which can be placed over the mouth, or mouth
and nostrils of the patient. The mouthpiece inlet is preferably furnished with a wire
gauze or perforated diffusing screen p which breaks up, softens and diffuses the
entering current of air. The perforated tube e, which is shown separately at Fig. 3,
and which projects as aforesaid into the hollow cylinder a, is wrapped in lint or other
suitable fabric or substance ; permeable to air, the said lint or other material having
been previously soaked in or impregnated with a suitable medicament, adapted to act
beneficially upon the lungs or respiratory organs. The lint or other wrapping on
the tube e also serves as as a filter to purify the air coming from the bellows or

page_text: air-forcer 9 and rid it of all dust or irritating foreign particles. In using the
appliance the patient may himself work the bellows, or air forcing means by a
treadle or the like as shown in Fig. 1. The air is thus forced through the inlet
nozzle of the hollow cylinder a into the perforated tube e with the applied
jacketing of medicated lint or other material j. In passing through the lint the.
air is filtered and picks up the essence of the medicament. The volume of medicated
air under pressure in the cylinder escapes through the outlet nozzle c to the
mouthpiece from which it is inhaled by the patient. The front of the mouth-
piece is or may be fitted with a pneumatic pad k which is inflated through
small tube as shown in Fig. 5. In Fig. 4 the mouth piece is shown without.
the pad so as to show the bent up edge h' which keeps the pad in position.
The dotted line in Fig. 4 indicates the outline of the pad. Rubber side flaps or
valves allow the escape of surplus pressure and also of the exhalations of the
To preserve equality of pressure, the bellows g are fitted with an air bag g¹
of rubber which acts as a reservoir or air chamber. Instead of being held in the
hand the hollow cylinder a might be fixed on a stand or rest on a table.
user.
a
The pressure of medicated air in the mouth piece is sufficient to allow of easy
and effortless inhalation, and the pressure behind each inspiration causes the medicated
air to find its way to cells in the lungs which, in the case of consumptive patients
for example have become entirely disused. Thus in virtue of the curative effects of
the medicaments employed and also by the more thorough use of the organs of
respiration and consequent increase in the oxygenation of the blood, the sources
of disease are directly attacked and the vitality of the patient increased at the same
operation. The medicated lint can from time to time be removed and renewed.
In addition to its uses as a curative agent in the treatment of consumption and
respiratory diseases, our improved appliance might be employed by vocalists and
public speakers to relieve or remove temporary throat or laryngeal troubles or
strains.
The hollow cylinder and other metal parts might be made of aluminium for the sake
of lightness, and the whole arrangement including cylinder, mouthpiece and air forcer
might be neatly packed in one small portable case.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said inven--
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed we declare that what we-
claim is.
1. An inhalatory appliance consisting of a hollow cylinder with an air inlet and
outlet, the inlet being governed by a back pressure valve and the cylinder containing
a removable perforated or permeable tube wrapped with lint which has been soaked or
impregnated with a suitable medicament adapted to act beneficially upon the lungs or
respiratory organs of the user, substantially as described and illustrated.
2. The combination of the hollow cylinder referred to in Claim 1 with the improved
mouth piece h, substantially as described and shown.
3. As a complete inhalatory apparatus the combination of the hollow cylinder a,
mouth piece h and air forcing means such as g, substantially as described and as.
illustrated.