Specification of James Willson : socks and vapour baths.

  • Willson, J. (Joseph)
Date:
1856
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Specification of James Willson : socks and vapour baths. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    Willsons Socks and Vapour Baths. opposite to each other. Into each of these are to be accurately fitted, by grinding, the necks of two flat phials of equal contents with the concave. In these are to be inserted transversely two plugs perforated as that a stopcock, which, being turned, open or close the passages. The upper phial being filled 5 with aether, or any other volatile or stimulating fluid, and the edges of the concave being brought into close contact with the skin, either by hand or by elastic bandages, the plug is turned to suffer the sether to descend into the concave, where it is confined upon the skin until the other is turned to admit it into the lower phial, where it is kept for use at another time, with very little 10 waste unless from accident. In the bottom of the upper phial is to be inserted a small stopper to admit air when the sether is descending. It may be right to observe, that when the fume of dry substances should require to be cooled, I have also passed it thro’ a coiled tube immersed in a pail of cold water; and to save some part of the time in changing of water when it became heated, I 15 have used a syphon, which carries off the hot, and is supported by three legs, which are, as the tubes of the syphon, connected by screws to render it the more portable. In stationary baths a cock in the vessel that contains the tube, and one in a large elevated reservoir, answers the purpose. Description of the Drawings. SO No. 1 a, the boiler; b, the dome; c, the tube leading to the reservoir; d, another tube communicating with the atmospheric air by a perforation in the wall of the chamber; e, a stopcock with two pipes, one of which connects with that tube, the other projecting to the bottom of the reservoir f; g, g, frame and bellows compressing by ascent; h, a flexible tube attached to the air hole 25 of the bellows, and leading, as the other, to the atmosphere; i, the conductor of the bath, with the lever of the bellows in one hand, and the bight of the cord in the other that governs the cock looking on the thermometer k, sus¬ pended by the frame l; m, the top of the reservoir, suspended by the frame cords, &c., n, nf n; o, the tube and cock which admits the prepared vapour 30 into the bathing vessel q, a tube with a conical valve which carries off the vapour when the bath is surcharged for the purpose of renovation; r, the silk bound round the rim of the bathing vessel; s, the receiver of a conical valve; t, the conical valve; u, the spiral spring which supports it; w, the cock with two pipes; <#, a concave glass for topical application, with the tube to 35 receive the vapour, and one valved to carry it off from a lateral apperture; 1,1, two flat phials to contain aether; 2, the flat concave; 3, the transverse stock plug in the neck of the upper phial; the lower phial is described detached.