26 
THE PITAEMACEUTICAL JOUENAL. 
[July 9, 1870. 
A good inhaler should possess these properties:— 
1st. It should he capable of containing a sufficient 
quantity of water, and also space for holding a sufficient 
quantity of steam. 
2ndly. It should provide for the perfect medication of 
the vapour inhaled, by necessitating the passage of air 
through the liquid; or, in other words, it should allow 
the patient to inhale, not merely the medicated steam 
ascending from the hot liquid, hut air which has passed 
through the liquid and become saturated with the vola¬ 
tile matter. This has been called the hookah or hubble- 
bubble principle, and has been imperfectly provided for 
in many inhalers. 
3rdly. It should require very little effort on the part 
of the patient. 
4thly. It should be capable of being kept at a uniform, 
or nearly uniform temperature. 
5thly. It should be capable of being easily cleaned. 
_ 6thly. It should be capable of being used in either a 
sitting or recumbent position. 
That the Eclectic Inhaler fulfils all these conditions 
will be now shown:— 
a. It holds a pint of hot water, and has a larger air 
chamber above. 
b. The perfect medication of the vapour is ensured 
by allowing air to pass through the medicated liquid on 
inspiration. 
c. Absence of effort is secured by providing for the 
ample supply of air through the very numerous ingress 
holes (x and z), and for an easy passage of air through 
a large inhaling-tube and mouth-piece; and by being 
constructed in such a manner that the lower ingress- 
holes are only covered by about half an inch of the medi¬ 
cated liquids. 
d. The temperature is maintained by a Clark's night- 
light, and regulated by a thermometer. 
e. Cleanliness is provided for by the construction of 
the apparatus. 
/. The use of the inhaler in any position is secured by 
the elastic inhaling tube, as in Curtis’s. 
C 
■-■'v 
INHALER. 
MUKUFACTUHEO BV 
clark’5 
PATENT; 
p YR AMI' 
CA/WC/VCLt-S 
DESCRIPTION. 
The Inhaler consists of three parts— a, b, and e. 
a is an open vase, and is essentially the containing 
vessel, into which the hot water and medicated solution 
are put. It is shown in Fig. 1, with a pint of water in 
it, and above the water-line is a large space for the steam. 
b is a kind of lid, resembling an inverted tumbler. It 
is shown in Fig. 1, forming the lid of the containing vase, 
and in Fig. 2, with the sides of the vase drawn diagram- 
matically. The bottom of the tumbler forms the cover¬ 
ing of the vase, and the sides of the tumbler dip down 
into it, leaving an air chamber between the two parts. 
When the vase has its proper quantity of water, the 
sides of the inverted tumbler or lid dip down only about 
half an inch below the water line. The circumference 
of the lid is perforated with small holes, as seen at ar T 
and the circumference of what would be the rim of the 
tumbler is perforated in the same way at z. The aper¬ 
tures, both above and below, communicate with the air- 
chamber. When the patient inhales, air rushes through 
the various holes above at x , then through the air-cham¬ 
ber, again through the series of holes at z, and finally up 
to the mouth-piece, as shown by the course of the arrows. 
In the centre of the upper surface of the lid is a project¬ 
ing nozzle, to which is attached a flexible tube, provided 
at its extremity with a double-valve earthenware mouth¬ 
piece. There is an opening in the lid, through which a 
thermometer registering high temperatures passes into 
the water. 
c is a stand on which the vase rests, and is made hol¬ 
low, so as to hold a night-light. 
