On Fumigations for preventing contagious Infection . 27 ' f 



It was ill the year 1801 that I succeeded M. Komilly, 

 who fell a victim to a putrid fever, which he caught while 

 administering relief to the prisoners ; and 1 was astonished 

 to find more than one half of these unfortunates attacked 

 with this species of fever. ^._4;^,«s^^*^c. 



The cells of the prisoners had a fetid smell, of so pungent 

 and tenacious a nature that my clothes retained it four-and- 

 twenty hours after their exposure to the i'rQc air. In these 

 circumstances I hastened to employ M. Guyton's process* 

 A mixture of muriate of soda, black oxide of manganese, 

 and sulphuric acid, was put into proper vessels, which I 

 ordered to be taken into the cells several times. This process 

 was repeated the following day by M. Ifidou. 



These experiments were attended with no accident what- 

 ever, and produced a very seasible diminution of the fetid 

 smell with which the air of the prison was impregnated -, 

 and we had the satisfaction v^ery soon of seeing the epidemy 

 of putrid fevers also diminished. 



In order to obviate the dangers which this mode of cleans- 

 ing the atmosphere presents, particularly where there are no 

 other apartments to remove the patients into, M. Costaz, 

 prefect of the department, furnished us with the large 

 apparatus of M.' Dumontier, since which period these 

 machines are carried through the hospital several tiiijes 

 daily. 



Since the commencement of 1804, the number of pri- 

 soners has increased one-third ; the structure of the cells 



• has not been changed, the same misepy pervades every 

 corner of them, nor has the amelioration in the food of the 

 miserable inhabitants arising from their labour, been suf- 

 ficient to change the nature of the diseases vvitli which tjiey 

 are infected ; and yet putrid fevers have almost entirely dis- 

 appeared, 



I am certainly of opinion that M, Guyton*s process was 



\^ the means of extinguishing the putrid fever in the prison. 



1 am the more inclined to believe in its efficacy from ilie 



• circumstance of this fever being epidemical in several neinh- 

 bouring districts, which occasioned an order by the prefect 

 to fumigate the churches; and from the year 1804 to this 



period, 



v> 



