DISINFECTION AND DISINFECTANTS. 



59 



Inside this wedge-shaped ventilator are two shelves, pierced with 

 holes, the top one being made to carry a box of charcoal and the bot- 

 tom one a piece of sponge. By this double contrivance the inventor 

 and patentee, Dr. Howard, of St. John's, Canada, claims not only to 

 absorb the watery vapor of the incoming air by the sponge, and dis- 

 infect any foul air that may seek entrance by means of the charcoal, 

 but also to warm the cold air by the amount of friction it has to under- 

 go in its ingress through the body of a ventilator which is already 

 somewhat heated by the warmth of the room. If the wind blows too 

 strongly upon the outside mouth of the ventilator, Dr. Howard pro- 

 poses a sliding valve to work up and down inside the pane occupied 

 by the apparatus. I cannot but regard such a contrivance as a clumsy 

 one. It may be said to stand in the same relationship to either per 

 feet ventilation or perfect disinfection that spurious freemasonry doe? 

 to what is called the pure craft masonry, or certain litharges to good 

 white lead. There is no necessity, either, to filter the air of a room ic 

 such a manner. 



There can, however, be a strong case made out why the water- 

 closet pans of a house should be disinfected, and I am able to point 

 out an apparatus which fulfils every require- 

 ment for that purpose. It is exhibited in the 

 diagram, both in section and elevation, and 

 is known as Brown's patent self-acting dis- 

 infector. The object is to deliver at every 

 upheaval of the handle a certain portion of 

 a fluid disinfectant ; formerly it was exclu- 

 sively Condy's fluid, now it is chloralum. 

 The construction is the essence of simplici- 

 ty. In a metal, glass, or earthenware ves- 

 sel, holding a gallon of disinfecting fluid, a 

 metal siphon is fixed, and the bottom is 

 coiled and has a small inlet as shown, by 



which means the siphon fills itself. When the closet-handle is raised, 

 the water rushing down the supply-pipe to flush the basin causes a 

 vacuum in the disinfecting siphon, and its contents are blended with 

 the water. By this means a portion of the deodorizing fluid is re- 

 tained in the trap or basin where it has no sineenre of work to per- 

 form. The siphon refills in a few seconds, and, as only a certain quan- 

 tity is discharged, a pint of disinfecting fluid, costing one shilling, 

 mixed with sufficient water to make up the gallon, will serve about 

 140 distinct actions of the closet. The cost of the apparatus is about 

 ten shillings, and it can be fixed in an hour to any patterned water- 

 closet whatever. The vessel containing the fluid is usually fixed upon 

 a bracket in a corner above the seat. This kind of apparatus can be 

 fixed to a tap in the stable, or anywhere else, and water containing a 

 percentage of the medicated fluid drawn off into buckets, or run off 



