US18020A - Inhaling apparatus - Google Patents

Description

'AT OFFICE.

JOHN C. SCHOOLEY, OF CINCINNATI, OHIO.

INHALING- APPARATUS.

Specification of Letters Patent No. 18,020, dated August 18, 1857'.

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN C. SoHooLnY, of the city of Cincinnati, county of Hamilton, and State of Ohio, have invented a new and Improved Method of Inhalation; and I do hereby declare that the lfollowing is a full and exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawing, and to the letters and figures of reference marked thereon, which form part of this specification.

It is a well known fact that persons who `are afflicted with coughs, colds, weak or inflamed lungs or consumption, have usually been sent to the tropical regions where the air is very dry, that they may breathe the warm dry air of that climate, thus benefiting the lungs and retarding their decay. Of late years it has been ascertained that no great benet can really be derived from breathing this kind of atmosphere, and that its only quality is its dryness, consequently most of the prominent medical men of the day have ceased to send their patients to the tropics.

v In the climate of the United States. where the weather is so very changeable, when individuals are affected in the least with inflammation of the lungs or symptoms of consumption, physicians give directions in nearly every case that their patients shall not expose themselves to the damp night air, or go out into the air during wet weather; but when the sky is clear and the air cool, pure, and refreshing, they must exercise in it freely. It is also a well established fact that the Esquimaux and other natives of the eX- treme North who are continually exposed to the freezing blasts of the wind, sweeping over the icebergs of that region, are never affected with colds, coughs, asthma, bronchitis, weak or inflamed lungs, or consumption. These complaints are never known among these people in that climate where the thermometer ranges from sixty to eighty degrees below zero. It is also an historical 4fact that arctic navigators, who mostly belong to the middle or southern climates, are never aiected with these complaints while they are in the eXtreme North; but on the other hand, the secret of their long ena durance during their journeys over the ice for weeks and months at one time, is the constant inhalation of the pure dry cold atmosphere of the North. These facts have become so plain to the greater portion of the medical faculty of both Europe and America, that patients are now sent North instead of South, where they can inhale cold dry air instead of warm dry air.

The nature of my improvement consists in the inhaling of atmosphere which has been artificially dried and cooled by being passed over ice or its equivalent contained within an ice receptacle and taken into the mouth, throat and lungs by the usual plan of inhalation, as often and at such times as the circumstances of the case may demand.

lVhen the lungs are in a weak state or the least inflamed, the inhalation of cool dry air will cool them, allay the infiammation, and the air being dry at the same time, will take up in its passage the superfiuous matter contained in the lungs, besides the air being cold is necessarily contracted in the bulk, thereby presenting a larger amount of oxygen, and thus not only retarding their decay, Abut reinvigorating them with pure fresh air.

It is a settled fact, that fresh airis the great requisite for weak and inflamed lungs. This being so, my improvement will enable all persons afflicted with lung complaints, to inhale fresh pure cold dry air into the lungs at pleasure.

To enable others skilled in the art to make and use my improvement, I will proceed to describe its construction and'mode of operation by referring to the accompanying draws ing and the letters and figures of reference marked thereon, forming part of this specication.

Figure l is a longitudinal sectional view of my inhal'ator. A is the ice receptacle, surrounded by an insulating material between the partitions which is represented by letter L. The insulating the ice receptacle is to prevent the condensation of the air upon the outside of the inhalator. I), is an ingress opening for the admission of air into the ice, which can be regulated by a valve to open or close at will, if desired. d, is an ice seat to prevent the icerfrom resting in its own melt-ings. e, is the egress opening for the air, after having passed over the ice, to which is attached a tube f made of metal, india rubber, or any other suitable material. On the end of the tube, f, is a mouth piece g, which can be made to cover the mouth as represented in the drawing, or made to insert within the mouth as may be desired. 1

Z, is the faucet to allow the meltings of the iee to pass oil. p, is the lid at the top of the inhalator for the admission of ice.

Fig. 2, represents a prospective view of my inhalator with the tube and mouth piece. Vhen a very eold and dry air is required the ice must be broken up fine and mixed with salt. The mouth piece is placed Close over the mouth, and the individual will fill the lungs at one inspiration by drawing the outside air in at, down through the ice in A and when the air comes in Contact with the ice, its moisture is condensed, and the impurities extracted7 thus becoming cold, dry, fresh, and pure; it passes instantly and continually through the opening e, into the tube, f, through the mouth piece, g, into the throat and lungs. After each inspiration7 and when the lungs are well iniated7 the mouth should be elosed, without removing the mouth piece, and the exhausted air allowed to escape through the nose, and instantly another inhalation is taken and so on.

The inner partition of my inhalator should be made from glass, porcelain, metal, or any material which will not eorrode by being brought in Contact with water.

I am aware that inhalators have heretofore been made and used, with ingress and egress openings, also a tube through which to inhale. I also am aware that inhalators have been heretofore used from which to inhale gas, Vapor7 &c., but in no ease have I ever known them to Contain ice or its equivalent over which air was passed and then inhaled.

I disclaim the use of the ingress and egress openings separately from the ice reeeptaele.

I also disclaim the use of an inhalator for the purpose of inhaling from it any kind of gas or vapor. But

That I do Claim' therein as new and desire to se'eure by Let-ters Patent7 is- The so combining the ice receptacle A with the openings Z9 and 0, and so arranged that the out-side atmosphere, after being cooled and dried by passing over ice or its equivalent within said receptacle can be inhaled into the lungs in the manner and for the purposes substantially as set fort-h.

JOHN SCHOOLEY.

Witnesses EDWIN EDWARDS,

J. B. WYMAN.

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