On the curative effect of carbonic acid gas or other forms of carbon in cholera, for different forms of fever, and other diseases / by C.J. Lewis.

Lewis, C. J. (Charles James), 1875-1937.

Date:: 1903

Credit: On the curative effect of carbonic acid gas or other forms of carbon in cholera, for different forms of fever, and other diseases / by C.J. Lewis. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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$l>y means of a glass tube continuance of one of tlie sto])per apertures its opening is conducted low in the jar (lig. A 5), while the otlier aperture is neai the top. I ho two lialves of tlie jar are lield together hy clamps or hy a luhher hand round the ojiposed rims. The bottom of tlie jar was padded with cotton wool, and tlie jar is large enough to hold both plate and tube cultures. The alternative apparatus (fig. ]j 4) consisted of a wooden stand closely covered with a tight-fitting rubber plate, and having a central raised circular portion of wood on which the plates or tubes were placed in a movable wire cage. Resting on the rubber plate and covering the central portion of the stand was a cylindrical glass jar having a thick lower rim with a flat inferior surface. This jar w’as perforated in two places—(1) laterally near the foot by an opening corked with a rubber cork: the cork was pierced with a metal pipe which was provided with a screw tap (fig. B 5); (2) at the top by an opening corked wdth a rubber cork: this cork was pierced by a piece of glass tubing bent at right angles, and w'as carefully luted. Rubber tubing attached to the metal pipe and to the glass tube allowed the ajiparatus to be connected as required. The glass rim and the rubber plate were sealed and made adherent to each other with the help of vaseline, but mainly by a firm collar of modeller’s wax, which proved an excellent seal. iigures are given on pp. 23 and 25 showing these two forms of chamber, each connected with the charging apparatus and the purification wash- bottle. During the process of charging either form of apparatus, the exit tube, by which air and excess of gas escaped, was immersed to a slight depth in a cylinder of water, which acted as a seal to prevent air rushing backw'ards into the apparatus (figs. A 5 and B 6). It was customary, after preparing either chamber for experhnent, to exhaust the contained air by means of a suction pump. The pump was pro\T.ded with a mercury manometer attachment, so as to ascertain the extent of exhaustion achieved. When this was satisfactory, the tubes were clipped, and the chamber disconnected from the pump and connected with the Kiqip apparatus. The object of this was to obtain as far as possible an atmosphere of carbonic acid gas, and not merely air with a moderate percentage of the gas. It was found by control experi- ment that this preliminary exhaustion had no effect on the growth of the organisms if air were subsequently admitted instead of carbonic acid gas. The percentage amount of carbonic acid gas which was present was calculated at the beginning and at the end of each experiment. The method of volumetric analysis ado])ted was to collect some of the atmos- ])heric contents of the jar in a eudiometer over a column of mercury. The sani2)le was often obtained by displacement with water. Having noted the cidjic centimetres of gas taken as a sample, there was passed into the eudiometer some caustic soda solution of the strength of 50 per cent. This was shaken uj) with the gas and the diminution in volume of the gas noted, d’ho ])ercentage absorbed by caustic soda is then calcu- lated. This is practically the cai'bonic acid gas which was })resent. In the ordinary atmos])hei’0 carbonic acid gas forms ’04 ])cr cent., but in these cx])ei'iments the atmosidiere of the jar contained 20 to 90 per cent, of the gcas, and sometimes was ])ractically pure carbonic acid without any other constituent. d’ho ])lates incubated in carbonic acid gas were uncovered so as to allow th<! gas to get fully at tbem, and similai'ly the tube cultures had$