Improvements in Disinfecting and in Apparatus therefor.
Year: 1894

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Disinfecting and in Apparatus therefor.
I, SYDNEY PITT, of Sutton, in the County of Surrey, Gentleman, (a com-
munication to me from abroad by La Société Anonyme de l'Institut Raoul Pictet,
of Fribourg, in the Republic of Switzerland,) 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 :-
At the present time three methods of disinfection are in use by municipal
councils, railway companies, doctors and surgeons for making aseptic the various
organic substances which are vehicles of pathogenic microbes.
These are:-
1. The use of steam.
2. The use of sprays of toxic solutions in particular corrosive sublimate.
3. The use of gaseous fumigation, chlorine, sulphurous acid, nitrous vapours and
the like.
These three methods are quite insufficient because they have no effect on a large
number of substances and articles, moreover their use is often dangerous.
Corn, all kinds of cereals and valuable fabrics cannot be placed in stoves without
deterioration; hospital stores are greatly injured when placed in steam at 113°.
The method of disinfection which forms the object of the present invention
overcomes all these objections.
To apply this method you proceed in the following manner:
1. The articles to be disinfected are placed in an hermetically closed vessel
capable of resisting atmospheric pressure.
2. A vacuum is made in this vessel by means of an air pump, an exhauster or
the like.
3. The vapours of a toxic body, sulphurous acid, or a mixture of sulphurous
and carbonic acids, or chlorine, or the vapours of all known antiseptics, are
introduced into this exhausted vessel.
4. These vapours are left to re-act for a certain time on the bodies or articles to
be disinfected.
5. The vapours are again exhausted from the vessel and led into a gasometer of
capacity equal to that of the vessel and are kept in this gasometer until a fresh
operation.
When sulphurous acid or the mixture of sulphurous and carbonic acids is used
a gasometer may be used for storing the vapours, or they may be liquified in a
worm or any condenser under a pressure of some atmospheres:
It suffices to submerge the worm or condenser in a reservoir full of water at the
surrounding temperature.
6. Air is allowed to re-enter the vessel in which a vacuum has just been formed.
7. The articles and substances are taken out completely disinfected.
The method is of quite general application and is applicable to all substances
even to those which are refractory to disinfection such as cereals, linens and silks.
The plant necessary for carrying out this process consists of a combination of
three apparatus shown in the annexed drawings in which :
A is a chamber or vessel of any suitable dimensions formed of rivetted or
soldered sheet iron, which may contain mattresses, linen, bales of rags, sacks of
cereals, hospital linen and other articles and even if required a complete carriage.
The said chamber is of cylindrical form with a moveable end or is provided
[Price 8d 1

page_text: with a door a which is hermetically closed and which is capable of resisting
atmospheric pressure.
It is supported on a masonry pillar B, or by beams or by being simply keyed to
the ground opposite railway rails (not shown in the drawing) which bring the
carriage or other objects to be introduced into it. The moveable end may turn
upon hinges, or may be suspended by chains or otherwise.
The internal capacity of the said chamber may vary between a fraction of a
cubic metre and 250 cubic metres which corresponds to stoves to hold complete
carriages.
C is an air pump of any type capable of producing a very perfect vacuum; the
more perfect the working of this pump both as to delivery and vacuum, the better
the operation of disinfection succeeds.
= D is a gasometer of any type and material provided its capacity be equal to or
greater than that of the vessel A.
It is preferable to use an oil gasometer such as shown in the drawing.
The bell E plunges into an oil bath contained between two concentric
cylinders e e¹ which are separated one from the other by a thin layer of oil. The
central cylinder e' shown in dots, is closed at the top by an air tight cover which
supports the pipe F through which the gas of the gasometer enters or leaves.
This gasometer may according to its size be of any shape; the oil forming the bath
may be mineral or organic and should resist as much as possible the action of acids.
is a pipe connecting the chamber A to the pump C.
G is an outlet from the pneumatic pump.
H is a pipe connecting the pipe F to the pipe F¹.
hffggare valves in the various pipes.
I is the driving pulley of the pump C.
K is a masonry block upon which the pump is placed.
L is a counterweight balancing the gasometer bell.
M is a fly wheel.
The apparatus works as follows:-
The articles to be disinfected are placed in the chamber A which is thereupon
closed. The valves g¹ and 9 are opened and the other valves hff' closed. The
pump is put into action until there is only a very small residual pressure in the
vessel A; after stopping the pump C, g is closed and f¹ and h opened.
The gases pass from the gasometer through F H f' F' g¹ and enter A where
they attain atmospheric pressure.
At the end of one, two or several hours as required the pump C is again put
into action after having opened the valve fand closed f¹ and h; the valve 9 which
is already closed remains so and the valve g¹ remains open. The gases exhausted
by the pump are drawn from the chamber A and are forced back into the
gasometer D.
When the vacuum has become as perfect as before the pump is stopped and
atmospheric air allowed to again enter the vessel.A, the valve g' having first been
closed by any suitable arrangement. The vessel is opened and the articles are
aseptic and disinfected.
By leaving the valves closed the gas contained in the gasometer is always ready
for use in a fresh operation.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what
I claim is :-
:-
A method of disinfection based upon the combination of the three apparatus,
substantially as described which consists in a hermetically closed metal chamber or
vessel, an air pump, and a gasometer permitting
:-
1. A vacuum to be formed in the chamber when the articles to be disinfected
have been placed there.

page_text: 2. The gases or vapours coming from the gasometer to permeate into the said
chamber.
3. A vacuum to be again formed in the chamber and the gases to be sent back
into the gasometer.
0
"
1004
SYDNEY PITT.