230 OZONE. 



SO you can take advantage of electricity, you can read- 

 ily produce ozone by the action of strong sulphuric acid 

 upon permanganate of potassium. It is only necessary 

 to mix very gradually three j^arts of the acid with two 

 parts of the salt, and this mixture will not only give 

 off ozone al:)undantl3- but will not cease to give it off for 

 months. You will at once see that in this way it can 

 be introduced into any invalid's chamber when desira- 

 ble, and it can thus be used for the purification of the 

 air of hospitals or pul)lic aj?semblies. 



As it is evolved by electricity and also by chemical 

 action it would seem almost certain tliat it would be a 

 constant ingredient of our atmosphere. As we have 

 seen it is b)' no means a passive agent and the cjuery 

 will at once arise as to its effect upon animate nature. 

 The result of my experiments as well as that from the 

 experiments of others, show that an ozonized atmos- 

 phere will produce an irritation of the mucous mem- 

 branes of the nostrils, throat, conjunctivae, and even 

 congestion of the lungs. It accelerates rcsj^iration and 

 circulation, excites the nervous system, and those effects 

 continue after the withdrawal of the cause. 



Of this I have had ample experience, and will say 

 that when following up experiments upon ozone for 

 some days, I had an attack akin to pneumonia which 

 came near being serious. I was attended by Dr. Ful- 

 som who can state that the active stage of inflammation 

 was very severe, though the recovery was rapid beyond 

 precedent. I did not then realize the cause, but have 

 since observed the results too often to be mistaken. Not 

 that I intend to take averdoses of ozone but in experi- 

 ments with it enough escapes into a room when closed as 

 in cold weather to produce these effects. 



Reasoning from this we should infer that a class of dis- 



