Improvements in or relating to Apparatus for the Painless Killing of Dogs and other Animals.
Year: 1891

page_text: Date of Application, 4th Feb., 1891
Complete Specification Left, 4th Nov., 1891-Accepted, 5th Dec., 1891
NORTONAL OF BOTICATION.
Improvements in or relating to Apparatus for the Painless Killing
of Dogs and other Animals.
I, BENJAMIN WARD RICHARDSON of 25 Manchester Square in the County
of Middlesex, Doctor of Medicine do hereby declare the nature of this invention
to be as follows:-
This invention relates to a lethal chamber for the destruction of dogs and other
animals in a painless manner and the invention may be carried into effect in the
following manner:
provide a box or chamber preferably of wood though other material may be
used with or without glass windows, which I will call the chamber this is provided
with a lid adapted to fit air or gas tight and which may be secured with a lock and
key, the complete chamber when closed being impervious to the passage of air or
gas. In a suitable part of the interior of this chamber preferably in the lower
portion I arrange a perforated pipe which may extend entirely round the chamber
and extending through the wall of the chamber to a convenient part outside where
it may be connected with a suitable bottle or vessel which can be charged from,a
funnel or by other suitable means with chloroforin or other narcotic or lethal
substance, the bottle being also provided with another pipe by which air under
pressure can be admitted so as to force the contents of the bottle through the other
pipe and so to the perforated pipe inside the lethal chamber. The air pressure may be
provided by blowing down it or by means of a bellows or the like, but if desired
the arrangement may be such that the chloroform will descend by gravity to the
perforated pipe. The interior of the chamber may with advantage be lined with
felt or other non-conducting material, but preferably of an absorbent nature so as
to collect the vapours and thus prevent loss; the non-conducting lining also assists
in maintaining an equable temperature inside the chamber.
The upper portion of the chamber may with advantage be smaller than the lower
and in the chamber is arranged a cage, platform or equivalent adapted to be raised
or lowered within the chamber as required; the space between this smaller size
and the larger size of the lower portion may be railed off so as to prevent damage
to or contact with the felt. The bottom of the chamber and if necessary the whole
of, it may be lined with zinc, tin or equivalent. and the bottom has preferably a
grooved wooden plate or board placed on the slant so as to receive and direct any
vapours that may condense into a well or cup which may be placed in any convenient
position say preferably at one end.
Into this well or cup and extending to say within an inch or so of the bottom
dips the end of a pipe which passes through the wall of the chamber to the outside
and through which would be admitted carbonic acid gas or other suitable lethal
agent. This gas may be forced in by means of bellows, fan or the like, or under
its own pressure due to the operation of generating it, and it is delivered on to or
into the chloroform or other lethal fluid in the cup a portion of which it carries
with it into the chamber. A tap is provided upon this pipe which may also have
an ear piece or a branch.pipe which the operator can use as a stethoscope so as to
learn when the operation is completed; or an independent pipe.or stethoscopic
apparatus may be provided. Upon the wall of the chamber preferably opposite to
that by which the gas enters I provide a cock which may be connected if desired
with another reservoir for the purpose of collecting and economizing the lethal gas or
vapour and for providing return pressure; this second cock may also allow the escape
of the air as the gas enters or can be closed when the chamber is sufficiently
charged.

page_text: The movable cage may be of any convenient construction preferably with a complete
top and bottom and open sides and if necessary provided with one or more valves
or equivalent by which the yapours may enter it should also have hinged lids or
equivalent on top by which the animals may be placed in the cage and the doors
then closed down. As a means of raising and lowering this cage I may employ
any suitable arrangement of cords, chains and pulleys, levers screws or otherwise
worked by preference by a winch or other handle from the outside and so arranged
that the cage can be secured in its raised position. The lids of the chamber may
be secured by one or more bolts hooks or equivalent.
In operation the chloroform or other lethal substance is admitted through the
perforated pipe as previously described and the carbonic acid or other lethal gas
through its appropriate pipe the escape tap being open until the air has been
driven out when it can be closed. The movable cage is raised and practically
blocks the upper portion of the chamber so as to prevent any serious escape of the
vapours inside. The cage lid is opened the animal or animals inserted the lid
closed and fastened, the lid of the chamber closed and the cage dropped until life
is extinct.
It will be understood that modifications may be made without departing from
the spirit of this invention, for instance the apparatus above described is a portable
apparatus, which is one of its advantages, but notwithstanding this it can easily be
made of a non-portable description as for example by building a chamber in brick
concrete or other material either upon the ground or by forming such a chamber
beneath the ground.
The chloroform or other lethal fluid may either be admitted in the form of jet or
spray and where required besides the primary admission it may be sprayed after-
wards with or without more gas when the cage is in position. It will also-be
understood that although I have mentioned chloroform and carbonic acid gas I may
use any other suitable form of narcotic or lethal agent.
The animals may be placed together or separately in other wicker, wire or other
cages which may be placed inside the permanent movable cage.
Dated this Fourth day of February 1891.
W. P. THOMPSON & BOULT,
Agents for the Applicant.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or relating to. Apparatus for the Painless Killing
of Dogs and other Animals.
I, BENJAMIN WARD RICHARDSON of 25 Manchester Square in the County
of Middlesex, Doctor of Medicine, 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 the lethal chamber for the destruction of dogs and
other animals in a painless manner and the invention may be carried into effect as
follows:-
:-
I provide a box or chamber preferably of wood, though other material may be
used, with or without glass windows, which I will call the chamber; this is provided
with a lid or doors adapted to fit air or gas tight and which may be secured with a
lock and key, the complete chamber when closed being impervious to the passage
of air or gas.
In a suitable part of the interior of this chamber I arrange a
perforated pipe which may extend entirely round the chamber and extending
through the wall of the chamber to a convenient part outside where it may be
connected with a suitable bottle or vessel which can be charged from a funnel or
by other suitable means with chloroform or other narcotic or lethal substance, the

page_text: bottle being also provided with another pipe by which air under pressure can be
admitted so as to force the contents of the bottle through the first pipe and so to
the perforated pipe inside the lethal chamber. The air pressure may be provided
by blowing down it or by means of a bellows or the like, but if desired the arrange-
ment may be such that the chloroform will descend by gravity to the perforated
pipe. The interior of the chamber may with advantage be lined with felt or
other non-conducting material, but preferably of an absorbent nature so as to
collect the vapours and thus prevent loss; the non-conducting lining also
assists in maintaining an equable temperature inside the chamber. I find however
that an impervious material like zine will give satisfactory results.
The upper portion of the chamber may with advantage be smaller than the
lower and in the chamber is arranged a cage, platform or equivalent adapted to be
raised or lowered within the chamber as required; the space between this smaller
size and the larger size of the lower portion may be railed off so as to prevent
damage to or contact with the felt. The bottom of the chamber and if necessary
the whole of it may be lined with zinc, tin or equivalent and the bottom has
preferably a grooved wooden plate or board placed on the slant so as to receive
and direct any vapours that may condense into a well or cup which may be placed
in any convenient position say preferably at one end.
Into this well or cup and extending to say within an inch or so of the bottom
dips the end of a pipe which passes through the wall of the chamber to the outside
and through which would be admitted carbonic acid gas or other suitable lethal
agent. This gas may be forced in by means of bellows, fan or the like, or under
its own pressure due to the operation of generating it, and it is delivered into the
lower chamber in combination with the chloroform or other lethal vaporizing fluid
or gas with which it diffuses in the chamber. A tap is provided upon this pipe
which may also have an ear piece or a branch pipe which the operator can use as a
stethoscope so as to learn when the operation is completed; or an independent
pipe or stethoscopic apparatus may be provided. Upon the wall of the chamber
preferably opposite to that by which the gas enters I provide a cock which may
be connected if desired with another reservoir for the purpose of collecting and
economizing the lethal gas or vapour and for providing return pressure; this second
cock may also allow the escape of the air as the gas enters or can be closed when
the chamber is sufficiently charged.
The movable cage may be of any convenient construction preferably with a
complete top and bottom and open-work sides and if necessary provided with one
or more valves or equivalent by which the vapours pass through it; it should also
have hinged lids or doors or equivalent by which the animals may be placed in the
cage and secured from escaping. As a means of raising and lowering this cage
I may employ any suitable arrangement of cords, chains and pulleys, lever, screws
or otherwise worked from the outside and so arranged that the cage can be secured
in its raised position. The lids or doors of the chamber may be secured by one or
more bolts hooks or equivalent.
In operation the chloroform or other lethal substance is admitted through the
perforated pipe as previously described, and the carbonic acid or other lethal gas
through its appropriate pipe, the escape tap being open, until sufficient air has been
driven out when it can be closed. The movable cage is raised and practically
blocks the upper portion of the chamber so as to prevent any serious escape of the
vapours inside. The cage door is opened the aninal or animals inserted the door
closed and fastened, and the cage dropped until life is extinct.
It will be understood that modifications may be made without departing from
the spirit of this invention, for instance the apparatus above described is a portable
apparatus, which is one of its advantages, but notwithstanding this it can easily be
made of a non-portable description as for example by building a chamber in brick
concrete or other material either upon the ground or by forming such a chamber
beneath the ground.

page_text: The chloroform or other lethal, fluid may either, be:admitted in the form of jet or
spray and where required besides the primary admission it may be sprayed after-
wards with or without more gas when the cage is in position. It will also be
understood that although I have mentioned chloroform and carbonic acid gas I may
use any other suitable form of narcotic or lethal agent.
The animals may be placed together or separately in either wicker, wire or other
cages which may be placed inside the permanent 'movable cage.
*
In the accompanying drawings,
Figure 1 is a view of a complete apparatus showing the cage raised and the glass
doors opened, and
Figure 2 is a vertical cross section through the lethal chamber and cage.
Like letters represent like parts throughout the drawings.
A is the lethal chamber, B the cage and 13 the. doors by which the animals are.
placed in the cage. The cage B is carried in a carrier C which is suspended from
the roof D by a chain C passing round a pulley E preferably of the Weston or
self-locking type so that the cage may he raised by the operator pulling upon the
free portion of the chain at E and retained where required. In Figure 2 the
cage B is shown partly drawn out from the carrier C and it will be observed that
the bottom of the carrier completely closes the top of the lethal chamber A. The
dotted lines in this figure. indicate the position of the cage when lowered into the
lethal chamber in which position the top of the carrier C again closes in the lethal
chamber A. The top and bottom and ends of the carrier Care solid but the back and
the front are open.
F Figure represents the chloroform bottle F¹ being the pipe.
by which the chloroform is sprayed into the lethal chamber and F being the pipe
by which the pressure may be applied to the bottle F by means of a bellows or
from the lungs of the operator as already described. G is a carbonic acid gas
generator the gas passing by the pipe G provided for convenience with the closing
tap, or cock G to the lower portion of the lethal chamber where it mingles with
the chloroform or other. similar vapours. The pipe Finside the lethal chamber
may be carried along each side of chamber A as shown in the drawing, and being
open or perforated allows the escape of the chloroform into the chamber. The well
in the bottom of the chamber A is not shown in the drawing as it may be used or
not according to circumstances or choice. The chamber A. is shown lined with
zine A which effectually prevents the passage of any of the vapours and this zinc
may again if desired be lined with felt or other similar material and the space
between the zinc and the walls of the chamber may be lined with non-conducting
material. H represents the stethoscopic pipe connected to the pipe G¹by the tap H
so that to use the pipe H-the tap H would be turned on and the tap G2 turned off,
and to allow the passage of the carbonic acid gas the tap H¹ would be closed and
the tap G2 opened. The roof D is provided for convenience where the apparatus
is to be used in the open air and the doors A2 which close the entrance to the cage
are preferably glazed and adapted to fit gas-tight against the walls of the apparatus
so that after the operation the cage may be raised and inspection through the
glass made of the animals to satisfy the operator that they are dead before removing
them.
With the arrangement described the chloroform or other narcotic can be
introduced as a spray and may be sprayed over the animals as well as merely
diffused through the chamber. Instead of carbonic acid gas other lethal agents.
may be employed but the above. combination is a satisfactory one, the chloroform
acting as a narcotic while the carbonic acid gas as. a lethal agent assists in destroying.
life rapidly and painlessly.
In the drawings I have illustrated the completest form of the apparatus as
known to me, and I have not considered it necessary to illustrate the simpler form
of the apparatus described in the first paragraph of this Specification as such
apparatus would practically be the same as that illustrated minus the carrier, roof
and portions supporting it.

page_text: 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 ]
claim is :-
1. In an apparatus for the painless destruction of animals the combination with
the lethal chamber such as A of a cage such as B adapted to receive the animals to
be destroyed and to be then placed into the lethal chamber substantially as
described.
2. In an apparatus for the painless destruction of animals the combination with
a lethal chamber such as A and cage such as B of a carrier such as C adapted to
receive the cage B and its freight and to convey the same into and out of the lethal
chamber and to act as a cover thereto substantially as described and illustrated in
the accompanying drawings.
3. In an apparatus for the painless destruction of animals the combination with
a lethal chamber such as A of apparatus for the preparation and supply of the
lethal gases or vapours substantially as described and illustrated in the accompanying
drawings.
4. In an apparatus for the painless destruction of animals the combination with
the lethal chamber of a stethoscopic tube or apparatus substantially as described.
5. In an apparatus for the painless destruction of animals the combination with
a lethal chamber such as A. and cage such as B of glazed and gas-tight doors such
as A whereby after the operation the animals may be inspected without exposing
them to the atmosphere substantially as described and illustrated in the accompanying
drawings.
Dated the Third day of November 1901
B. W. RICHARDSON.
W. P. Thompson & Boult,
Agents for the Applicant.