The accompanying engravings represent a new disinfecting apparatus
invented by Mr. W.E. Thursfield, M. Inst. C.E., of Victorgasse,
Vienna. The principle on which its action is based is that the
complete destruction of all germs in wearing apparel and bedding,
without any material injury whatever to the latter, is only to be
obtained by subjecting the articles infected, for a period
proportionate to their structural resistance, to a moist heat of at
least 212 deg. Fah. Recent experiences in Berlin have shown that, for
security's sake, a temperature of 220 deg. is better. To insure the
thorough penetration of this temperature in every fiber, a heat of
from 260 deg. to 270 deg. must be maintained in the disinfecting
chamber itself. To obtain this by means of ordinary or superheated
steam involves the employment of boilers working under a pressure of
2½ to 3 atmospheres, of disinfecting chambers capable of resisting an
equal tension, and of skilled labor in attending to the same; in other
words, a large initial outlay and correspondingly heavy working
expenses in fuel and wages.
[Illustration: Fig. I and II THE AERO-STEAM DISINFECTOR.]
The disinfecting apparatus, illustrated in a portable and stationary
form, of the dimensions adopted by the sanitary authorities of Vienna,
Budapest, Prague, Lemberg, Teplitz, etc., and by the Imperial and
Royal Theresianum Institute, and sanctioned for use in barracks,
military hospitals, etc., by the Austrian Ministry of War, and for
ambulance hospitals by the Red Cross, acts by means of a mixture of
steam and hot air in such proportion that the steam, after expending
its mechanical energy in inducting the hot air into the disinfecting
chamber, is, by contact with the clothes or bedding of a lower
temperature, not only condensed, but by condensation completely
neutralizes the risk of injury through any chance excess of hot air.
The boiler being practically open is inexplosive, and requires neither
safety valves nor skilled attendance.
The heat generated in the furnace is utilized to the utmost, and the
escaping vapors form a steam jacket in the double casing of the
disinfecting chamber. The method of manipulation reduces the danger of
contagion to a minimum, as the clothes or bedding are placed in
specially constructed sacks in the sick chamber itself, and, after
being tightly closed, the sacks are removed and hung in the
disinfector. The stationary apparatus, which is constructed to
disinfect four complete suits of clothes, including underlinen, or one
complete set of bedding, including mattress, is specially adapted for
hospitals, barracks, jails, etc. Its dimensions can easily be
increased, but the size shown has proved itself, from an economical
point of view, the best, as, where the quantity of articles to be
disinfected varies, several apparatus can be erected at a less cost
than one large one, and one or more be heated as the quantity of
infected articles be small or large. In the accompanying drawing A is
the boiler, which is filled by pouring water into the reservoir, B,
until the same, entering the boiler at its lowest part through the
tube, C, rises to the desired height in the water gauge, G. C acts
also in the place of a safety valve. D is the fire space, E a movable
grate, and F the coal hopper. The fuel consists of charcoal or coke.
The boiler is emptied by the cock, H. I is a steam pipe connecting the
steam space with the hot air tube, L¹. K is an auxiliary pipe to admit
the steam into the chimney during stoppage for emptying and recharging
the disinfecting chamber in continuous working. The admission of air
is regulated by the handle, L, and the draught in the chimney, M, by
the handle, N. O is the disinfecting chamber inclosed by the space, P,
which acts at the same time as a steam jacket and as a channel for
the downward passage of the vapors escaping from the chamber through
the outlets, S. The lower portion of the disinfecting chamber, Q, is
funnel-shaped for the better mixture and distribution of the steam and
hot air, and to collect any condensation water. Q¹ is a sieve to catch
any fallen article. The vertical tubes, S, which serve at the same
time to strengthen the chamber, connect the lower portion of the steam
jacket, P, with the circular channel, T, which is again connected with
the chimney, M, by the tube, T'. The disinfection chamber is
hermetically closed by the double cover, R, to the lower plate of
which hooks for hanging the sacks are fastened. The cover fits in a
sand bath, and is raised and lowered by means of the pulley chain, W,
and the swinging crane, X. U is a thermometer indicating the
temperature of the steam and hot air in the disinfecting chamber, V a
cock for drawing off any condensation water, Y a battery connected
with an electrical thermometer to be placed in the clothes or bedding,
and Z the sacks in which the infected articles are hung.
The portable apparatus, as shown, for heating with gas, or even
spirits of wine, can also be heated with a similar steam and hot air
apparatus as the stationary disinfector. In country towns or villages,
or even in cities, whose architectural arrangements permit, the
portable disinfector can easily be drawn by one man into the courtyard
or garden of any house, and the process of disinfection conducted on
the spot. Its usefulness in campaigns for ambulance hospitals is
self-evident. The letters denoting the several parts are the same as
in the stationary apparatus. The portable disinfector is constructed
to disinfect two complete suits of clothes or one mattress. The
extremely favorable results are shown in the accompanying table of
trials.--_The Engineer._