The case of the manufacturers of soap & candles in the city of New-York, stated and examined : to which are prefixed, the laws of the state of New-York, concerning infectious diseases ; with an addition, in form of an appendix ; containing, several documents and papers, relative to these subjects / published by the Association of Tallow Chandlers and Soap Makers.

  • Mitchill, Samuel L. (Samuel Latham), 1764-1831.
Date:
MDCCXCVII [1797]
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: The case of the manufacturers of soap & candles in the city of New-York, stated and examined : to which are prefixed, the laws of the state of New-York, concerning infectious diseases ; with an addition, in form of an appendix ; containing, several documents and papers, relative to these subjects / published by the Association of Tallow Chandlers and Soap Makers. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by the National Library of Medicine (U.S.), through the Medical Heritage Library. The original may be consulted at the National Library of Medicine (U.S.)

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    [_45 ] lie was aware it had been alledgcd, the vapours thefe fubftanccs emit rendered the air impure, and proceffes afford- ing impure air ought to be prohibited, left the health of the Citizens be injured by it. The meaning of this word, (one of the words of the aft) he faid was fo vague and general, that it was hard to find out its particular application. It might fignify air loaded with /moke or dufl, or any thing which fpoils its clearnefs, and mingles with it foreign mat- ter. Thefe, indeed, rendered the atmofphere/oo/jy and dirty. It might be interpreted to exprefs the exhauftion of the refpirable part of the atmofpherical mafs, the empyreal or pure air, and confequently leaving the refidue deprived of its vital portion ; and in this fenfe of the word, the burning of all fuel, the calcining of metals, the formation of vinegar and all acids, were proceffes exceedingly produftive of im- pure air. Or it might intend that odorous bodies made air impure by diffufion of their particles abroad, and then cam- phor and tallow, ambergris and rotten eggs, the rofe and the tan-vat, the tar-pot and the folutions of fulphur and phofphorus, all contributed to the impurity of the air. Or it might mean, laftly, that fomething of a deftruftive nature, not to be fmellcd or fcen, was diffufed through the air, and rendered it impure ; then the formation of fixed air, ammo- niacal air, inflammable air, phlogifticated air, dephlogiflicat- f.d nitrous air, and fepiic acid air, and of every other fort of air, except empyreal air, was a procefs, whereby impure, that is non-refpirable air, is evolved. Each of thefe aerial produftions was conftantly mingled, in a greater or lefs quantity, with the common atmofphere, efpecially that of cities, and every one of them in its pure and unmixed ftate, was cither direftly noxious, or at beft, poffeffed no life- exciting power. The truth was, that vital air in its pure form, was found by fufficient experiments, to be too keen and ftimulant for the purpofes of health and longevity. To guard againft this exhaufting effeft of an atmofphere too pure, the Author of Nature had tempered it fo that to about one fourth of air of a vivifying quality, there were added three fourths of an air