Specification of Somerville Scott Alison : medium for external applications in medicine or surgery.

  • Alison, Somerville Scott.
Date:
1854
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Specification of Somerville Scott Alison : medium for external applications in medicine or surgery. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    3 Alisons Impts. in the Manufacture of a Material for Applications in Medicine. animal, deprived of wool or other fibrous matters, and prepared according to the process called chamois curing; then re-dressed, and afterwards rendered impermeable to air and water on one surface, by the application of caoutchouc or other similar adhesive matter, or simply perforated, as herein-after described. 5 The process of chamois, or, as it is sometimes called, shamoy curing, consists in treating the inner skins of the lamb, kid, or other similar animals with oil, which is applied by pressure, and afterwards removed by alkalies; and skins so prepared are peculiarly soft, smooth, and absorbent. But instead of pre¬ paring the skins by this process, I sometimes cure the skiver, or skin, by means 10 of salt and alum. My Invention relates to two kinds of material, the one perforated and the other impermeable; and the first part of my process consists in further cleansing and softening the skin by means of soap and warm water; it is then dried, and made soft, by rubbing with pumice stone. In this manner, impurities and 15 the remains of lime or other matters used in the curing of the skin are removed, and the fine texture is rendered looser, softer, more elastic, and more fit to absorb and retain a larger body of liquid than before. Although I generally use the inner skin only, when greater thickness is required, the entire skin, composed of what are called the chamois and the skiver is used. The 20 chamois is perforated with holes of various sizes, at any distances apart, and in a regular manner; this may be done by a punch, or any cutting instrument, or by passing the skin through suitable rollers, as is obvious. This material is to be used for cold liquid applications to the human body, or when heat is to be reduced by evaporation. The lambskin absorbs a large quantity of liquid, is 25 very retentive, and when vret becomes soft, pulpy, and adhesive, and a good conductor of heat. The perforations admit of the escape of vapour, and consequently the heat of the part to wrhich the application is made is reduced. This perforated skin is cut into portions, applicable to the object desired; thus, ice-bags for the head may be made of it, and a capsule for holding opium 30 or other solid drugs for administration in obstetric medicine is very useful, from the fact that the agent dissolves and slowly makes its way through the perforations to act upon the parts, v7hile from the softness of the capsule no inconvenience is experienced by the patient. By this contrivance, the medicine may be retained in the body sufficiently long to produce the desired 35 result, while otherwise it might be immediately rejected. The second part of my Invention consists in rendering the chamois skin impermeable on one surface, so that it may be used tor water dressings, fomentations, &c., as a plaister, or otherwise, when it is desired to afford a soft wet surface to the parts to be treated, or to place a body of liquid or semi-