Dr Carmichael Smith, who introduced nitrous acid gas as a fumigation (1799), received a reward of £5000 from Parliament for publishing his formula.
Fumigation, Sulphu′rous. Syn. Fumigatio sulphurosa, F. sulphuris, L. Prep. 1. The gas produced by burning sulphur, sulphurous anhydride, or, as Mr Keates has suggested, by burning bisulphide of carbon.
To guard against the danger arising from fire, when sulphur is burnt for the purposes of fumigation, the operator is advised to proceed as follows:—Having closed the fireplace, windows, &c., of the apartment to be disinfected, procure a common pail or a large earthenware pan, and place it in the centre of the room; then into the middle of the pail or pan put upside down an ordinary flower-pot. Then pour water into the pail or pan (as the case may be) until it nearly reaches to the top of the inverted flower-pot. Now stand on the flower-pot a plate or saucer of earthenware or common crockery, sufficiently large to hold the quantity of sulphur required; place this quantity of sulphur in the plate or saucer, and put on it a few live coals; then close the door of the apartment, and leave it undisturbed for six or eight hours. At the expiration of this time the door may be opened, as well as the windows, the barricade being at the same time removed from the fireplace; a thorough draught of air being thus established, the sulphurous smell will soon disappear. During the fumigation all articles within the room should be spread out so as to expose as great a surface as possible. “The cubic space to be thus disinfected should be calculated by multiplying the length, height, and breadth together, and taking an ounce and a half of sulphur for every 100 cubic feet. For a small bedroom one pound of sulphur would be sufficient. Indeed, eighteen ounces would suffice for a room measuring 12 ft. × 10 ft. × 10 ft.”[321]
[321] ‘Water, Air, and Disinfectants,’ by Noel Hartley.
2. Flowers of sulphur, 7 parts; nitre, 4 parts; benzoin and olibanum, of each 2 parts; camphor, 1 part; pressed into the bowls of tobacco-pipes, and lighted with a quick-match. See Bath and Disinfectant.
Fumigation, Tar. Syn. Fumigatio picea, Suffumigatio picis liquidæ, L. Prep. 1. Vegetable tar, 1 part; water, 7 or 8 parts; mix, and let it simmer in an open vessel set over a spirit lamp placed near the centre of the apartment.
2. (Sir A. Crichton.) Norway tar, 1 lb.; powdered carbonate of potash, 1⁄2 oz. or 1 oz.; mix, and heat it as last. The potash is added to neutralise any volatile acid. Formerly highly thought of in bronchitis and pulmonary consumption.
Fumigation, Tooth′ache. Syn. Fumigatio odontalgica, F. anti-neuralgica, L. Prep. 1. From henbane seeds, powdered and thrown into a basin of boiling water, and the affected part held in the steam. Sometimes a little of the seed is placed on a heated iron spoon, and the part exposed to the fumes.
2. (Beasley.) A popular remedy is to throw henbane seed on hot cinders, inverting a cup over them to receive the smoke and empyreumatic oil produced. The cup is then filled with hot water, and the steam conveyed to the affected side of the mouth.
FU′′MING LIQUORS. See Ammonium Sulphydrate, Arsenic Trichloride, Tin Bichloride,