US62916A - Improved mode of - Google Patents

Description

@eine taies stent titre.

JoHNnL L13t\f,M.n., or'Nn'W Youri, N. Y.

Letters Patient No. 62,916, lated .March 12, 1867.

IMPROVED MODE 0F APPLYING MEDIGINES AND RBMEDIAL AGENTS, AND APPARATUS THERBFOB.

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TO ALL WHOM I'l MAY CONCERN:

Be it known that LfJoHN ALLEN, M. D., of the city and county'of New York, in the State of New York, have invented new and useful Improvements in Medicated Vapor Baths, and in the Apparatus for and the Method of Administering the same; and Ido hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters of reference marked thereon, making a part of this specification. K

The nature of my inventions consists iu introducing medicines into a boiler or lretort, or other vessel, conL taining water, and transmitting the combinedvapors of the medicines and water into bath armors, a suitable apparatusinto which the patient is placed to receive the bath, and also in the use of certain medicines as remedial agents.

To enable others skilled in the art to make and use myinvention, I will proceed to describe-the construction, operation, and means thereof. Y

Figure l represents aside elevation of theapparatus of the vapor bath.

Figure 2, a top view of the same.

.Figures Sand 4 are cross-sections of the bath armors.

FigureA 5, the movable frame; and

Figurc, the lamp with sulphur at top.

Apparatus. The apparatus I use consists of the following-described parts and devices: First. The bath armor A. l Second. The supply and escape pipes B and C, or flexible hose B, for conducting vapors from the boiler D to the bath armor A, and for discharging them from it.

Third. A. metallic boiler, D, a glass retort, or other vessel, in which the vapors are generated.

Y Fourth. gasoline stove, E, or other suitable device, the heat of which can be readily graduated for heating the boiler Aand its contents.

Fifth. The apparatus, consisting of a lamp, F, cup Gr,- and pan H, or other devicey for vaporizing sulphur.

First. The bath armor A is made cfa fram-e (as seen at iig. 5) and iiexible casings, or of a. wooden box, A,

vand head box, J, lined to make them tight, and a seat, K. The frame and casings are designated as No. 1, the

box armor as No.2. The frame is adjustable and portable and about three feet and six inches high, three feet long, and two feet and four inches wide; and is made of strips of board about four inches wide, Vthree-fourths of an inch thick, framed in separate panels, and aside and an end panel, joined to each other by hinges, L, on the inner angle, and secured to the other side and end panel by hooks and staples, M, or other device, on the outer angles. This frame supports the casings. The casings are made in two parts, one of which is designated as the bed piece, N, and the other as the cover,4P. 'Thebed piece N is a sheet of rubber cloth, or other suitable material,'which is'impervious to air or vapor, made about six feet long by four feet wide, and provided with straps, R R, each of which is iive feet long, .more or less, on each side, and two like straps on ea'ch end, the straps on one side and those on one end having buckles on their ends into which the straps opposite are fastened. The cover P is'made lof like impervious ilexible'material as the bed piece, and has a hood, S, for the head. The body partis of the same shape as theframe, open at the lower end, closed on the sides and top excepting the face of the hood, large enough to slip over the frame easily, long enough to cover the entire frame and fold in upon the under side of it about four inches.A The top may be made in a pyramidal, conical, or fiat form, and terminating in a hood, which is open in front, and which may be shirred closely to the face, or may entirely cover both face and head,.eare being taken that the hood have suilicient capacity inside to permit' the free circulation of vapor and f ree respiration of the patient' when his head is covered. An oriiice or a metallic inlettube, T, is made or inserted in the cover near the bottom to receive the supply-pipe B. If a tube be used, it should be inserted into a hole in the frame corresponding in position with that of theI tube in the cover. Another tube, either flexible or rigid, is inserted in the top of the cover near one corner, and at the endopposite that in which theinlet tube or orifice is, for attaching the escape pipe C. A thermometer, u, is also placed in' one side or top ofthe cover. The seat is an open-bottom or caneseat chair or stool, K, the seat part of .which is mounted on a screw pivot, so that it may be adjustedto the ,w r cacio' height of the patient. Armor No. 2 is of the same form and dimensions, having the same attachments and general arrangement as No. 1, but, instead of a frame and external casngs, I make aiivooden box for thc body partA and a wooden hood or head box, J, having a glass front. The body part is made of boards about an inch inthickness, or other material, closed on all sides, except the top, and lined with sheet metal, rubber cloth, or other suitable material, to make it suiiiciently tight to prevent the escape of vapor, having a d oor, V, in one end and a slide panel about eight inches square, with a glass plate in it six or seven inches square, and placed near the lower corner in the side, which will be upon the right side of the patient when facing the boiler. The cover is made in two parts, one of which 'is fixed; the other part slidesin a groove in the upper edges of the sidesof the body. The fixed part is about one-third the length of the slide part, and each has a half` circle cut out of it, so that when thetwo parts are closed together acireular aperture is formed about seven inches in diameter, or large enough to receive the neck ot' the patient and cloth packing to make it tight. The apparatus is mounted on casters. The hood or head box J is also made of Wood, (inch-thick boards are suitablc,) except the front, which is of glass, and is closed on all sides except the bottom, the edges of which are'faced with cloth for packing to stop vapor, and when in use may be secured to the body of the apparatus by hooks and staples.` Armor No. 1 is portable and can readily be taken apart and laid away or packed in a box of moderate dimensions for convenience of transportation, No. 2, on casters, can be readily moved into a closet when not in use.

Second. The supply'T and escape pipes. K

These are of two dimensions, one, the supply pipe B, which yconducts the vapor fromv the boiler tothe bath armor, is three or four feet long, and about three-fourths of an inch internal diameter, having a ferrule or tube of metal upon the Aend, which enters the armor, and which must bc fitted closely into thearmor when in use. The-other is'the escape pipe C to carry off vapors from the armor, and is made five or six feet long, or of any convenient length, and about four inches -internal diameter. For the'supply pipe I prefer India-rubber hose, and for the escape pipe rubber is also preferable for. convenience of adjustment, but .tin or other rectal pipe, `with an elboivin it, will answer the purpose. If rubber hose be used, the discharge of vapor can be regulated b'y tying a cord'more or less tightly around it; if tin'pipe be used, there should be a valve which will close either Wholly or partially the orice or tube. i

lThird. The boiler or retort.

For a metallic boiler I prefer copper. It may be made of any convenient form, and must have two openings, one of which, the supply orifice, should be upon or near the top, for the introduction of water and medicines, and closed with a screw-plug, or other suitable device; the other is the discharge orifice, and should be nearfthe top, and, for convenience, upon the side or end ofthe boiler, and closed with a stopfcock, to which the supply pipe is attached when in use. A glass retort has the advantage of being non-corrosiblaand, if used, may` be safely heated by means of a sand bath. It should have like provision for receiving a charge of water and medicines, and for the discharge of vapor, as the boiler above described. The supply orifice may be closed by a glass stopper or cork, and the stop-cock can be adjusted to the beak by inserting the cock in a cork, and fitting `the cork into the beak of the retort. l

Fourth, The heater.

' For the'hcater I prefer a gasoline stove, If a boiler be used for gencratingthe vapors, it may be setn upon the stove and receive the heat directly; if the retort be used, it may be set in a sand bath over. a furnace or stove. The advantageotthe gasoline stove is, that its'heat, which is quite suiicient for theA purposes of the bath', may be immediately diminished or entirely discontinued by turning a cock which regulates the feed.

Fifth. Apparatus for vaporizng sulphur.

This consists of the metallic cup Gr, v(tin is suitable,) {ive or six inches internal diameter, six'inenes high, Aand perforated with holes near the top for the transmission of air, having a side handle. The spirit' lamp F may also be of tin, with three or four Wick-tubes, and of such dimensions that it. maybe readily set int-o and removed from the cup, and also allow a space of about an inch and a half between the top ofthe Wick-tubes and the bottom of the plate which sets upon the top of the cup. The concave metallic plate H may be of iron, cir cular in form, and large enough in diameter to cover the cup Gr. Sheet iron is suitable material for the plate.

The size or dimensions of the above-described apparatus, or any part thereof,'can be varied as-may be desired.

The Bath.

The administration of the vapor bath may be general or local, that is, it may be applied to the entire person orto parts only. The oice of the vapor bath, medicated-or simple, is to restore the equilibrium of the circu lation,*andto free the system from eifete matter, the e'fifectbeing a thorough depletion ofthe system; a leading 'object of the practitioner also being to place the patient in an articial -atmosphere suited to his particular requirements. Great care and a discriminating judgment on the part ofthe practitioner are required in administering it. People of an' apoplectic habit, those having pulmonary tubercles or abscesses, and those subject to palpitation of the heart, cannot with safety breathe the vapors of the bath, particularly if medicated; and few persons breathing the atmosphere of the bath can endure a higherl temperature than 110 or 120 of Fahrenheit. A vaporl bat-h not medicated is exceeding-ly useful in many cases. It Vrelaxes the system, produces profuso perspiration., and relieves the system of inflammatory action,jwhether local or general. Medicated vapor baths have been given in England with great success. Dr. Langston Parker, of London', gave as many as five orsix a day fortwenty years with impunity; and inthis country they are recommended by many approved authorities, as Bumstead,`\Hamm ond, andothers, though none seem to have appreciated their value as fully as Dr.` Parker. They have been successfully used in cases of distortion of the spine, anchylosis, contractions of the muscles and tendons, long-standing dislocations, supprossionof tlie urine from stricture, enlargement of the prostate4 gland, infiammation oi' the 'l idneys, ureters, bladder, and urethra; also, bilious colic, dropsy, tetanus, neualgia and rheuinatism, and also spaslnodic action of the urethra, bladder, and other viscere, gravel, and many others. Bn'ths will effectnally destroy contagion. They have been successfully used in the early stages of small-pox without affecting the attendants; and hundreds of patients have been treated in the same apparatus without any ill elfocts following. It is believed that by a proper administration of baths once or twice a month, the lives of persons subject to inflammatory diseases may be prolonged on an average of at least ten years. No change of occupation or diet is usually required. The patient will constantly improve while under treatment. After the disease is'cured,` the tone of the digestive organs is not impaired, as is usually the case when a large quantity. rof medicine has been ,taken internally. An abnormal condition of the system may be induced by a too free use of powerful medicines taken internally that is morediliicult of eure than syphilis. Thevmedication of the vapors, the extent to which the bath is applied, and its duration, must be varied at 'the discretion of the physician, according to the particular effect desired; but the sulphur and'mercurial baths are most relied upon to produce specific effects.

v The Sulphur Bath.

In administering the sulphur bath, I use'either form of armor. If No. 2 be used, the patient is to be seated in the box, his head remaining uncovered, the slide cover closed about his neck, and closely packed with clothes to confine the vapors in the box. The door, slide panel, and escape pipe are to be' closed; then the` supply pipe is to be adjusted to the boiler or retort, and to the inlet tube or orifice of the armor; then, having previously charged the boiler with water, and raised ,the heat under it, thc stopcock is to be opened, slightly at first, and thevapor admitted very gradually into the box or armor for about five minutes before introducing the sulphur g, mean time, water to the depth of about an inch and a half is put into the cup to keep the spirit lamp and its contents cool, (which prevents toorapid evaporation of the spirit or fluid in the lamp.) The lamp is then placed in the cup, and the iron plato, containing about half a table-spoonful of flour of sulphur, is heated until the `sulphur is fused; the lamp is then to be lighted, and the plate set upon the cup over the lamp, the sulphur ignited by a match, the slide panel withdrawn, and the sulphur apparatus placed within the armor near the corner, and the slide'p'anel recloscd. The lamp wil-l continue to -burn until the sulphur is consumed, when it will be extinguished; but tho patient' remains subject to the action of the combined vapors. At the expiration of thirty minutes' or less, at the discretion of the operator, the heat under the boiler is to be discontinued, the escape pipe adjusted to-a window or chimney, the vapors discharged from the armor, and the patientliberated from the bath.

In using armor No. 1, the bed piece is to be spread upon the loor and the frame placed upon it; the patient then takes his seat, the cover is dropped over him and the hood adjusted closely to his face, leaving the latter exposed; the cover is drawn over the frame, and folded smoothly under it, excepting one side. Thereafter the process is the same as that above described, except that the sulphur apparatus is introduced into the armor under a raised corner of the cover, care being taken that the bottom of the cover be then smoothly folded ander the frame at both sides and ends, the sides of the bed piece folded upon the sides of the cover and secured closely'by thestraps buckledover the top of the frame and cover, andl the ends in like manner folded andv secured. The sulphur bath is administered successfully in cutaneous diseases. It'produces great irritation of the skin, which, however, soon'subsides, but the patient should refrain from rubbinghis skin when thus excited, as much friction then would produce inflammation lasting several days. The vapors or fumes of sulphur are irrespirable. This bath is also avery active and potent agent in medication, few remedies producing so sudden and powerful impressions upon the system; therefore great care is requisite in administering it, not only to keep the vapors confined in the armor until they are discharged into the open air, but also thc condition of patients subject to its action should be closely observed, for they are sometimes liable to nausea and fainting. In such case the escape pipe should be opened, and if the bath then continue to be too oppressive, the sulphur should be extinguished and the patient released from the bath. i

The llfercurz'ctl Vapor" Bath.

This bath has been used in a great vvariety of diseases, and particularly in syphiliticV cases, for which it is perhaps` the only known specific. The value of this bath in syphilis is equal to that of vaccination in smallpox. In administering this bath, I adjust the apparatus as before, and put about two quarts of water into the boiler or retort, and add from one-half to one drachm of 'perchloride of mercury, (known also as corrosive sublimate,) together with about half a drachm of iodide of potassium to facilitate the action of the-mercury, without limiting myself, however, to the quantities named, nor confining myself to the use of the iodide, nor to any particular description of medicine. The patient is tobe wholly covered, (the hood being tied over his face, or the box with the glass front set over his head,) and allowed to breathe the combined vapors of walter and medicines for about fifteen minutes, care being taken to regulate the heat under the boiler sothat only the proper volume of vapors shall be transmitted into the armor; at the expiration of the time above named the hood or head-box, as the 'case may be, is to be removed, and the hoodA adjusted to the face, or the neck packed if the head-box has been used in this state the patient should remain breathing atmospheric air about fifteen minutes longer, thirty minutes altogether being quito long enough for a patient to remain in thisv bath. If continued longer time, nausea and head-ache usually ensue and sometimes palpitation of the heart also. Whcnever'this latter symptomcccurs, the dow of vapors should be checked, and if the palpitation'do not, subside immediately,

the-patient should be removed from the bath at once and wiped dry. This bath ought not to be administered oftener than on alternato days. The medicines thus vaporized enter the' system through the lungs and absorbente of the skin and pervade the circulation; therefore inconnection with this bath but little medicine is otherwise f required. In syphilis, evacuants may sometimesl be necessary, also some mild preparation of mercury or blue pill may be given once or twice a day, andthe specific effect of mercury will soon be obtained. During this treatment the usual local-applications should be mafde. For the eruptions o n the skin I apply the medicated solution taken from the boiler. The specific eii'ect of`mercury is frequently produced by a single administration of this bath, and it seldom requires more than two or three'suchadministrations to produce tialsm or salivation.A

Local Vapor Bath.

Local applications of the vapor bath' may be made by means of the cover` of armor No. 1. An arm or a leg may be thrust into the opening inthe hood and enclosed tightly by tying the cord in the edge of' the hood around the limb, and the other end of' the cover maybe tied closely around the supply pipe, or the basket of a demijohn may be enclosed in the cover, the supply pipe insertedin the nozzle of the basket and the cover closely tied over them, and the vapors transmitted as before described. A like arrangement will suflce for a head bath in cases of neuralgiu. in the face by enclosing the head in the ho'od. The same relaxation, profuse perspiration, and equalization may be had locally as generally. A bath may begivcn by placing the patient in a chair or-other seat and covering him with armor No.1, and introducing Jthe vapors as before described, but the objection tothis course is, that if carried'tol a proper temperature the covering becomes heated and cannot be endured. In administering these baths I usually give some vegetable decoction as a drink, sometimes called a decoction of the tvoodsjf having a tonic or sudorific ei`ect,.and administered according to the requirements of the case. y

The room in which medicated vapor baths are administered should be large and Well ventilated, and every precaution should be taken to prevent the vapors from spreading or circulating in the room, so that the patient4 may not be subject to their influence longer than `is necessary, nor the operator injured by frequent inhalations of them. In almost all forms of disease there is more or less of congestion; and oneoi' the most important olhees of the vapor bath, Whether medicated or not, is to equalize the circulation; and its influence when properly administered is sedative and relaxing, the patient frequently falling asleep under its operation. It produces copious perspiration, and the patient should therefore remain in a warm dry atmospherelong enough after leaving the bath for hisy skin to recover its .usual tone. Medicated vapor baths have usually been given by 'umigation, that is, by placing the` medicine in the bath apparatus over a spirit lamp, and vapor of" water was obtainediin the same way. With such arrangement the principal operations were excluded'frorn the observation of the operator, and-the production of fumes and vapors could not be regulated with the needful degree Yof cer tainty, nor could the vapors be successfully confined in the apparatus commonly used. Failures Were the frequent results of this mode of administration, and vapor baths were unwisely condemned for failuresdue to defective apparatus and want of proper attention to details in their administration. i With my apparatus-above described the production and flow of vapors are entirely under the control ofthe operator, `as shown 'in thc following summary: i i

1. The heat under the boiler can be cheeked or discontinued instantly by turning the stop-cock which feeds the stove.

2. The stop-cock in the boiler to which the supply pipe is attached `entirely controls the flow of the vapor, so` that much or little vapor may be admitted into the bath armor.

8. The escape pipe may be partially or wholly opened, so that the vapors may be partially or Wholly discharged from the armor at any moment.

. 4. The sulphur can be extinguished at any moment by opening 'the slide panel in the wooden armor, or by 1^ avising a corner of the lexiblecover.-A

5. The vapors can be securely con-lined in the apparatus unt-il discharged into the open air. 6. Besides which, the condition of the patient maybe known throughout the entire operation of the bath, for he is constantly Within the observation of the operator. i i

I do not claim broadly a vapor bath apparatus, for a variety of such have been used; nordo I claim-medicated vapors, for these also have been administered; nor do I claim the use of mercury or` sulphur as medicaments in vapor baths, for these havebeen so used; but what I do claim as my invention', and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. The peculiar construetlon and arrangement of theapparatus for administering vapor baths, substantially as hcreinbefore described, and for the purposes set forth. l v

2. The peculiar construction and arrangement of the bath armor No. 1, the frame, Hexible impervious. casings and hood, and the armor No. 2, body and hood, or head-box with glass front, and thermometer,-substantially as hereinbefore described, and for the purpose set forth. l l

3. The 4flexible supply :and escape pipes combined and arranged with the apparatus, substantially as described, and for the purposes mentioned.

4.-. Thegasolinc stove, orA other suitable device, the heat of`whicl1 can be readily graduated, in combination With a boiler or retort for. generating vapors for vapor baths, substantially as described.

5. The combination and arrangement of the cup with water in it, lamp and plate, constituting the sulphur vaporzing apparatus, substantially as described and for the purposes stated.

6. AThe introduction into a boiler orretort of medicines which are soluble in water, or which may be vaporized by a moderate degreeof heat, particularly the perchloride of mercury (otherivise known as corrosive sublimate) and iodide oi'potassium, together or separately, and: their compounds or equivalents for converting them into vapor, substantially as hercinbefore described, and for the purposes set forth. JOHN ALLEN.

'Witnesses Cuirs. Salins,

HENRY PALMER.

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