IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR THE INHALATION OF VOLATILE MATTER
Year: 1880

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Robert Lake, of the Firm of Haseltine, Lake,
& Co., Patent Agents, Southampton Buildings, London, for an Invention
"IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR THE INHALATION OF VOLATILE
MATTER." A communication from abroad by Doctor Philipp William Feld-
bausch, of Strassburg, in the Empire of Germany.
of
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Robert Lake at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 31st January 1880.
WILLIAM ROBERT LAKE, of the Firm of Haseltine, Lake, & Co., Patent
"IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR
Agents, Southampton Buildings, London.
THE INHALATION OF VOLATILE MATTER." [A communication from abroad by
Doctor Philipp William Feldbausch, of Strassburg, in the Empire of Germany.]
This Invention has for its object to provide apparatus for facilitating tho
inhalation of volatile matter, such, for instance, as phenole.
An apparatus made according to the said Invention is distinguished from all
other apparatus for the same purpose by the fact that it is used in a different
manner, that is to say, instead of attaching it before the mouth and the nose, as is
usual with other apparatuses, this new apparatus is put in the nose, so that the
patient inhales the volatile matter only through the nose, and not through both the
mouth and the nose at the same time, or only through the mouth, as is the case
with the inhaling devices heretofore in use.
Making the apparatus in such a manner that it can be put in the nose provides
the great advantage that the patient can employ it without its being remarkable
to other persons.
The said apparatus consists of two small tubes of india-rubber or celluloid, metal,
or other suitable material. The two tubes are connected to each other by a small
bridge piece; each of these tubes contains a small tube or spiral of blotting paper
or other material capable of absorbing the liquid or retaining the volatile
material.

page_text: To use the apparatus the patient drops a small portion of the volatile matter
upon the blotting paper, and puts the apparatus in his nose. If the material of
which the apparatus is made is flesh coloured it can scarcely be seen by other
persons, and this is a very important property of the apparatus or device, as it
facilitates continuous inhalation during the day time without disfiguring the
face.
A modification of the said apparatus consists in a thin flat strip of metal or other
suitable material, so formed that there are two parallel sides lengthwise, leaving a
space between them for the insertion of a roll of blotting paper to hold the volatile
fluid. The metal or other material is rounded at the two ends, so that it forms
one continuous piece. This modified apparatus is designed to be placed in one
nostril only.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said William Robert Lake in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 30th
July 1880.
WILLIAM ROBERT LAKE, of the Firm of Haseltine, Lake, and Co., Patent
Agents, Southampton Buildings, London. "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR
THE INHALATION OF VOLATILE MATTER." A communication from abroad by
Doctor Philipp William Feldbausch, of Strassburg, in the Empire of Germany.
This Invention has for its object to provide apparatus for the continuous
inhalation of volatile matters or substances through the nose.
The inhaling respirators, cigarettes, and similar devices heretofore employed admit
of inhalation through the mouth only, by sucking the air through them, a proceeding
which in a short time becomes fatiguing and renders continuous inhalation with
such devices impossible; they, therefore, are not suitable for permanent inhalation.
Up to the present time an apparatus for continuous inhalation of the kind herein-
after described has been an unsupplied want much desired among physicians from
the fact that all inhaling apparatus hitherto employed, with the exception of the
very uncomfortable and disfiguring inhaling-masks which are applied in front of
the mouth and nose, are not serviceable for this purpose.
The novelty of this Invention consists in the fact that permanent inhalation is
rendered possible in a more easy and comfortable manner than with the inhaling
masks above referred to, that is to say, through the nose alone, which is the natural
entrance for air in breathing, and through which a person can inhale continually
without getting tired.
For the purposes of my Invention I combine a pair of small tubes or capsules
(round or oval) containing a filling of blotting paper for the absorption of the
volatile medicament or matter to be inhaled and adapted to the form of the nostrils.
I give to these tubes or capsules such a form that they are rendered suitable for
inhalation through the nose alone, and that the user may inhale for any number of
hours, or both day and night, with the greatest ease and without fatigue. More-
over in the employment of the said apparatus there is no disfigurement of the face,
as the former can be seen but little or not at all by other persons. I have thus
produced a new article of manufacture which may be very advantageously employed,
and is of great practical value for the local treatment of diseases of the respiratory
organs, especially for antiseptic treatment by inhalation and for the prevention and
cure of diseases caused by infectious air. My improvements moreover establish a
new method of continuous inhalation distinguished from all others by its simplicity
and efficiency.
A considerable number of volatile medicaments or matters can be inhaled con-
tinuously by means of the same apparatus, and the continuous inhalation of the
most efficacious disinfectant and antiseptic substances, such as phenol, creosote,
eucalyptol, pine oil, oil of turpentine, and the like, is universally provided for by
means of the said apparatus. The said apparatus, and more especially the invisible
one, hereinafter described, may also be employed as a prophylactic or preventitive
against diseases caused by infectious air; for instance, by persons who must remain
in the infected atmosphere of patients suffering from consumption, scarlet fever,
diptheria, or other diseases.
In the accompanying Drawing I have shewn three separate modifications or
forms of my improved apparatus, each of which fulfils the same requirements as the
others, their only essential points of difference being in the fact that after insertion
in the nostrils the first form is visible, the second very little visible, and the third
form invisible from the exterior.
The first form of my improved apparatus is shewn in Figures 1 to 4, Figure 1
being a perspective front view, Figure 2 a bottom view, and Figure 3 a vertical

page_text: section Figure 4 shews the apparatus as it appears when in use. This form of
apparatus consists of two tubes a, a, of metal or other suitable material, preferably
of a diameter of from 8 to 10 millimetres, and a length of from 1 to 2 centimetres.
These tubes are connected at their lower end by a small bridge-piece b and contain
a filling c of rolled blotting paper or other porous material for the absorption of the
volatile substance or matter to be inhaled. When inserted in the nose, as in
Figure 4, the apparatus retains itself in position, and on breathing a current of air
passes through the tubes and takes up the volatile matter or substance.
The second form of my apparatus is shewn in Figures 5 to 9, Figure 5 being an
underside view, Figure 6 a vertical section, Figure 7 a top view, and Figure 8 a
side view; Figure 9 shews the apparatus inserted in the nostrils. This form of
apparatus consists of two capsules a adapted to the form of the nostrils, and formed
of metal or other suitable material. The said capsules are connected by a small
bridge-piece b, and contain a piece of blotting paper c or other porous material for
the absorption of the medicament to be inhaled. When inserted within the nostrils
a portion only of the connecting bridge piece b which passes below the septum of
the nose is visible from outside, as shewn in Figure 9. This apparatus retains
itself in the nose, and on breathing the air passes through it and takes up the
volatile medicament, as described with reference to the first form of the apparatus.
The third form of my improved apparatus is shewn in Figures 10 to 14 of the
Drawing, Figure 10 being an underside view, Figure 11 a vertical section, Figure 12
a top view, and Figure 13 a side view; Figure 14 shews the said apparatus inserted
within the nose. This form of the said apparatus consists of a pair of capsules a,
which are essentially the same as those described with reference to the second form,
and differ from them only in the fact that the connecting bridge is dispensed with.
After the insertion of either one or two of these capsules, that is to say, into one or
both of the nostrils they retain themselves in position and are invisible from outside,
as shewn in Figure 14.
Having thus fully described the said Invention, as communicated to me by my
foreign correspondent, and the manner of performing the same, I wish it understood
that I claim,
An apparatus for the continuous inhalation of volatile matters or substances
through the nose, constructed in either of the forms shewn in and described with
reference to the accompanying Drawing, for the purposes specified.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Robert Lake, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Thirtieth day of July, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and eighty.