Fumigation

“ Fumigation is a rather portentous word; but, as soon as I shall have explained for what purposes, and in what manner, I occasionally make use of it, it will be totally divested of all deadly signification. ”

“ Here we could use neither sulphur, pyrethrum, nor the camphor mixture, as they all affected the delicate flavor of the tobacco. At first we used to move all tobacco out of a building to be fumigated. This was very laborious and added largely to the cost of fumigation and also tended to drive out from the building the infected mosquitoes before they had been reached by fumigation. Mr. Joseph Le Prince, who was in charge of this work, after much experimenting found that the fumes from tobacco stems did not hurt the flavor of tobacco, and were almost as deadly to the mosquito as was sulphur. ”

“ Hydrocyanic-acid gas.—Hydrocyanic-acid gas is the best gas known and in present use for the fumigation of houses, or parts of houses, for the speedy elimination of carpet beetles or other pests. When persons are troubled with fabric pests that have become generally established throughout the house, nothing will give greater satisfaction in peace of mind and freedom from trouble than one thorough fumigation carried on by a professional fumigator or by any intelligent, careful person capable of following directions. ”

“ In whatever manner fumigation is performed, it will be of service to spread out the clothes and bedding of the men, or to hang them upon lines, that they may be exposed to the heat and smoke.
It will also be of great service to make the men expose their frowsy clothes to the sun and wind. If a strong infection is suspected, and it cannot be afforded to destroy the clothes, the best means of eradicating the poison is to hang them for a length of time over pots of burning brimstone in a large cask standing endways, with small apertures to admit air enough for the brimstone to burn. ”

“ Entering the cabin, Mary and Frank were repelled by the unpleasant odour that, notwithstanding the former fumigation, still continued; but the smell was on this occasion mingled more with that of mud, and Robert managed by a quick allusion to the river slime, and the nauseous odour of the mangroves, to prevent Mary's suspicion of the real cause.
"We burnt some sugar here, on yesterday," said he, "but the tide has been up since, and we shall have to burn more. Or stay--we can try something else. I recollect hearing father say that burning coffee is one of the best fumigators in the world." ”

“ There is, however, a considerable risk of injury to household fabrics, furnishings, and wall papers from the strong bleaching quality of sulphur fumes. This danger will be somewhat diminished if the fumigation can be done at a time when the room or house is thoroughly dried out, as in winter by a furnace or other heating system. ”

“ Fumigation with sulphur is the only practicable method for disinfecting the house. For this purpose, the rooms to be disinfected must be vacated. Heavy clothing, blankets, bedding, and other articles which can not be treated with zinc solution, should be opened and exposed during fumigation, as directed below. Close the rooms as tightly as possible, place the sulphur in iron pans supported upon bricks placed in wash-tubs containing a little water, set it on fire by hot coals or with the aid of a spoonful of alcohol, and allow the room to remain closed for twenty-four hours. ”

“ The fumigation of a large house is merely a repetition, in each room and hall, of the operations already described for a single room. All the rooms should be made tight, and the proper quantities of water and sulfuric acid should be measured and poured into jars placed in each room with the cyanid in bags besides the jars. When all is ready, the operator should go to the top floor and work downward because the gas is lighter than air and tends to rise. ”

“ Carbon-bisulphide is a liquid, the gas evolved from it being an effective fumigant. It is not used as a spray unless emulsified, its chief use in horticulture being for the fumigation of the soil, glass-houses, stored seeds and vegetables, and imported plants. It is very inflammable and extremely volatile, especially under higher temperatures, the heavy gas being highly explosive when mixed with air. ”

“ Fume, fūm, n. smoke or vapour: any volatile matter: heat of mind, rage, a passionate person: anything unsubstantial, vain conceit.—v.i. to smoke: to throw off vapour: to be in a rage: to offer incense to.—n. Fum′atory, a place for smoking or fumigation.—adjs. Fū′mid, smoky; Fumif′erous, producing fumes.—n. Fumos′ity, quality of being fumous: (pl.) the fumes arising from over eating or drinking.—adjs. Fum′ous, Fumose′, Fum′y, producing fumes. ”

“ The mode of applying it is to dredge or dust it over the foliage of the plants affected, and to syringe off in from three to thirty hours, according to the nature of the plants. Fumigation with tobacco, if done in a proper way, is very effective, but it leaves an unpleasant smell. The foliage of the plants should be quite dry, and a still day must be chosen for the work; the house should be filled with smoke, but no flame must arise in the burning. ”

“ In fumigating a room with formaldehyde great care must be exercised that the individual does not remain in the room after the gas begins to be liberated. After the process of fumigation has been completed the windows and doors should all be opened that the gas may escape. It is always best to have the doors and windows open from the outside so that it will not be necessary for any one to go into the room until the gas has blown out. ”

“ Be that as it may, we find fumigation employed all over the world as a rite of purification, particularly during the menstrual and puerperal periods, women being at those times regarded as unclean or taboo. ”

“ The house whose cracks have been improperly stopped, and the old house, with open chimneys, loose windows, and apertures which cannot be closed, are not made safe by this process. Under such conditions, fumigation not only fails to remove the danger, but it produces a false sense of security. ”

“ All discharges should either be received in vessels containing copperas solution, or, when this is impracticable, should be immediately covered with copperas solution. All vessels used about the patient should be cleansed with the same solution.
Unnecessary furniture, especially that which is stuffed, carpets, and hangings, should, when possible, be removed from the room at the outset; otherwise they should remain for subsequent fumigation and treatment.
2. Fumigation. Fumigation with sulphur is the only practicable method for disinfecting the house. ”

“ Let the foliage of all plants be quite dry when fumigated, for when moist it is invariably more or less injured by the smoke. The evening of a still day is the most suitable for the work, as the house can remain closed for at least twelve hours afterwards. All openings must be closed, and the roofs of small structures and pits covered with mats or canvas, to prevent the too rapid escape o£ the smoke. Usually two fumigations with an interval of one or two days between will suffice, but when the plants are badly infested with thrips it will be necessary to fumigate three times on alternate days. ”

“ All philanthropy—no age has seen more of it than our own—is only a savoury fumigation burning at the mouth of a sewer. This incense offering makes the air more endurable for passers-by, but it does not hinder the infection in the sewer from spreading. ”

“ Contagious diseases are very commonly propagated in this metropolis by persons having their linen washed by laundresses who perform their operations in the same sinks of dirt and misery in which they live. See Cigars (in pharmacy) , Disinfectant, Inhalation, &c., and below.
Fumigation, Ace′tic. Syn. Fumigatio acetica, L. The fumes of strong vinegar or acetic acid, obtained by heating the liquid over a lamp, or by sprinkling it on a hot shovel. Aromatic vinegar in this way yields very refreshing fumes, and was formerly thought more efficacious than simple acetic acid. ”

“ The same type of fumigant, dosage, exposure, and temperature required for vault or chamber fumigation are employed, and the same precautions are observed when removing the tarpaulin after the exposure period. If circumstances prevent a tight sealing of the tarpaulin use an increased amount of fumigant to compensate for leakage.
j. Use and preparation of grit. Grit is a prepared mixture which serves as a mechanical grinder for the food in the pigeon’s gizzard and assists in assimilation. Grit also purifies the crop and supplies lime for bone building and forming of egg shells. ”

“ If they attempt to blaze or flame, sprinkle a little water over them; and as they consume, continue to add tobacco until the house is entirely full of smoke, observing always to do it in still, cloudy weather, or in the evening. If it is windy, the smoke is carried off without having half the effect, and requires more tobacco. The house must be closely shut up. There are several plants whose foliage is of a soft downy nature, such as Helitròpiums, Callacárpas, Sálvias, and many of the Lantànas, Víncas, with several others, that cannot stand, without danger, strong fumigation. ”

“ It must be evident, that, in a country whose soil is subject to be parched during so many months in the year, heavy fogs and miasma must abound; consequently, during the four months following the cessation of the annual rains, it frequently happens that the atmosphere is laden with mists and vapors until a very late hour in the day. In great cities, the bad effects of these are not so perceptible, on account of the general fumigation which takes place during the evenings, when the bulk of the inhabitants, as if by general consent, kindle fires for the purpose of cooking their victuals ”

“ The burning of any substance occasions the same smell: for the gross fume which arises from them, before they flame, is the inflammable air they contain, which is expelled by heat, and then readily ignited. The smell of inflammable air is the very same, as far as I am able to perceive, from whatever substance of the same kingdom it be extracted. Thus it makes no difference whether it be got from iron, zinc, or tin, from any kind of wood, or, as was observed before, from any part of an animal. ”

“ Fumigating with tobacco-paper or tobacco itself is the grand remedy for green and black fly and thrips, but, as it may not always be desirable to fumigate the house, dipping must in some cases be resorted to. Tobacco-paper is cheaper than tobacco, and the cheapest and most powerful tobacco is common shag. A quarter of a pound will suffice to fumigate a medium-sized structure. In using tobacco-paper, it must be made moderately moist; when quite dry, it will burst into a flame and scorch the foliage, but if made too moist it will generate steam, and not be so effective as it otherwise would be. ”

“ All manipulations should take place in tightly closed-in apparatus provided with exhaust, and the gases drawn off should be absorbed or effectively carried away. In the case of many injurious gases it is not sufficient merely to conduct them into the flue; they ought to be condensed and got rid of. Thus acid fumes (nitrous fumes, sulphur dioxide, hydrochloric acid vapour, chlorine gas) are neutralised by water or milk of lime, or a solution of soda; ammonia or alcohol by water; sulphuretted hydrogen and arseniuretted hydrogen by lime and oxide of iron; aniline, &c., by dilute acids. ”

“ Not only do the solid and vaporous ingredients of smoke-begrimed air—noxious compounds of carbon, sulphur, nitrogen, chlorine, and arsenic—irritate the sensitive membranes of the eyes, nose, throat and lungs, and thus aggravate or cause inflammatory diseases of these organs, or produce collapse of their sensitive tissues, or increase their susceptibility to such specific diseases as bronchitis, pneumonia and subacute forms of phthisis; but the poisonous compounds also enter the gastro-intestinal tract, and this causes nausea, vomiting, diarrhea and systemic poisoning. ”

“ Investigate the cause of the trouble and you will find that the smoke pipe connecting the furnace and chimney is out of place. Don't try to replace the dislocated pipe until the cellar is thoroughly aired, for furnace fumes can be almost as deadly as those exhausted by an automobile, for the same reason, the presence of carbon monoxide gas. So when working on the pipe be careful to retreat out of doors on the slightest feeling of faintness or other disturbing symptom. The safest way is not to attempt to replace the smoke pipe until the furnace fire is out. ”

“ When you see a thin blue fume rising from it, it is hot enough. That is the sign. If you do not look closely it may escape your notice, for it is only a thin fume you want, not a thick smoke. If we were to let the fat remain till it smoked it would be spoilt."
"Oh dear, how careful we have to be!" said Margaret.
"The slices of apple are quite ready, ma'am," said Mary.
"And the batter is quite ready," said Margaret.
"I see too, that cook has put a dish with kitchen paper on it for us to put the fritters on as they are fried. And there is the fume. Do you see it, children?" ”

“ Poisoning arises from inhaling the fumes of hydrocarbons. The symptoms are oppression, headache, inclination to vomit, cough, hiccough, giddiness, noises in the ears, drunken-like excitement, trembling and twitching. Inhalation of larger quantities brings on, quite suddenly and without previous warning, unconsciousness, which may last many hours and is often fatal. Except in severe cases the symptoms generally soon disappear, if the affected person withdraws from further contact with the fumes. The most effective protection therefore against poisoning is fresh air and temperance. ”