US1636581A - Moist-hot-air bath - Google Patents

Description

July 19, 1927.

P. R. WILDE MOIST HOT AIR BATH Original Filed March 5. 1926 Patented July 19, 1927.

llNITED' STATES PERCY ROBERTS WILDE, or BATH, ENGLAND.

MoIs'r-Ho'r-Am BATH.

Application filed March 5, 1926', Serial No. 92,533, and in Great Britain March 17, 1925. Renewed m This invention relates to hot air baths and by a pipe 7 and admitted into the said re has for its object to provide an improved bath for the pyretic treatment of patients whereby the patient is enve oped in a warm moist atmosphere, in contradistinction to the hot dry air of a Turkish bath or the direct application of course steam as in the Russian or vapour baths, and mainly consists in providing a casing or cover, which can be placed over any desired part of the patients body whilst lying, or reclining, on a couch, bed or the like, the said casing, or cover, having receptacles, longitudinally arranged therein into which steam is ad mitted from a boiler situated at a lower level than the bottoms of the said receptacles, the said receptacles being so adapted that the bulk of the steam admitted thereto is condensed and the water of condensation flows, by gravity, back to the said boiler and the remaining, or. some of the remaining steam passes through perforations in the said receptacles into the interior of the said casing, or cover.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a longitudinal section of a vapor bath constructed according to this invention. Fig. 2 is a cross-section, taken on the line 22 in Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a plan view, from below, of the bath. From the drawings the nature and scope of this invention will be readily understood, it being understood, however, that the invention is not limited to the precise construction hereinafter described and shown in the accompanying drawing as modifications may be made without departing from the scope of the invention.

According to this invention the bath consists of an open bottom casing, or cover 1. of metal, or other suitable material, having one end 2 also open so that the said casing, or cover, can be placed over any desired part of the patients body that is to be subjected to treatment Whilst the patient is lying, or reclining, on a couch, bed or the equivalent. Secured, in any suitable manner, to the inner side of each of the longitudinal sides 3 of the said bath and extending the greater part of the length thereof is a receptacles 4 of narrow width relatively to its height. The bottom of each of the receptacles 4: inclines downwards from the open end 2 to the closed end 5 of the said casing, or cover, and steam, which may be generated in a boiler such as shown at 6, is conveyed ceptacle at its lowest part as shown in Figure 1, from which some of it escapes through perforations 8 formed in the inner side of the saidreceptacles, at, or towards, the bottom thereof, into the interior of the said casing,

or cover. I V

In order to obtain the proper conditions for working it is essential that the boiler 6 supplying the steam be on a lower level than the casing, or cover, 1, and that the pipes 7 conveying the steam from the said boiler to the receptacles t slope upwards from the said boiler to the bottom of the saidreceptacles so that water of condensation can flow from the said receptacle through the said pipes back to the said boiler where it is again converted into steam and as such is returned to the said receptacles 4. By this means an efficient circulatory heating system is obtained, so that the bath can be continuously heated with a minimum supply of water.

When in use the casing, or cover 1 is placed so that the body of the patient lying, or reclining, on a couch, or bed, is covered, the patients feet being towards the closed end 5 of the said cover, or casing. Blankets, or other covering, may, if desired, be then placed over the casing, or cover 1 and between the 'open end 2 thereof and the patient, and steam is admitted to the receptacles 4 which causes them to be heated and the bull: of the admitted steam to be condensed which then flows down the inclined bottom of each of the said receptacles and returns by gravity through the pipes 7 to the boiler 6. Some of the steam admitted to the receptacles 4 passes through the perforations 8 therein into the interior of the casing, or cover 1 and this steam having been deprived of its coarser particles and submitted to the heat of the said receptacles is so finely divided as to be invisible to the eye and in this condition it mixes freely with the air beneath the casing, or cover, and so produces that warm moist heat which it is the object of the bath to accomplish.

By the employment of a moist air bath in accordance with my invention, although steam is used both to heat the bath and also to moisten the air within it there is no visible steam either within or outside the casing, or cover 1 during use, and this absence of steam is of great importance when the treatment is given on the bed in Which the pareceptacles at, any suitable guard, or guards may be provided, for instance, this may be effected by securing strips 9 of non-heat conducting material along the inner side of each of the said receptacles as shewn. The strips 9 are shewn secured to battens 10 which are in turn secured tot-he casing or cover 1 in such manner as to leave a space between the said strips and the inner sides of each of the receptacles 4.

Having now described my invention what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent is 1. In a portable vapor bath, a frame channel-shaped in cross-section and having converging sides and being open at its bottom and at its larger end and adapted to be stood over the limb of a patient, inclined receptacles for steam secured at the sides of the frame and provided with perforations in their inner sides, and means for supplying steam to and draining off water from the said receptacles connected to their lower ends, said lower ends being arranged at the smaller and closed end of the frame. 2. A portable vapor bath as set forth in claim 1, and having also strips of non-heatconducting material spaced apart and extending over the inner sides of the said receptacles, and battens which support the said strips in position in the frame.

' In witness whereof I affix my signature' PERCY ROBERTS VVILDE.

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