The Health bulletin [serial] - University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

FACTS ABOUTTHE OXYPATHORHow Six Inches of Nickel-plated Gas PipeSells for $35.00ANY ONE CAN MAKE HIS OWN OXYPATHORHow and Why the State Board of Health Laid Barethe Modern Rabbit's FootWahben H. Booker, C.E."Save the babies!" How? With sixinches of brass gas pipe and a handfulof sand, sulphur and charcoal. Thisis what our good mothers were toldto do a few weeks ago at the StateFair. Of course, they were not toldin just those words. They were invitedto i>ay $35 for an Oxypathor,which is the same thing, except thatthe latter has a green cord fastenedat each end of the gas pipe.Now, when any concern sets up anexhibit directly opposite a betterbabies contest and proceeds to makecapital of innocent babies, claimingthat a piece of gas pipe will curesome one hundred and seventy oddailments, and recommending its usein cases of pneumonia, infantile paralysisand diphtheria, it is time forsome one to sound a note of warning.In the case of diphtheria time isworth more than money. In manycases time is life itself, and no honorable,intelligent person will, forgreed of a few paltry dollars, takechances with the lives of innocentbabes by recommending the wastingof precious time with a piece of gaspipe instead of hurrying toapply antitoxin.What the Oxypathor Is.That the public might know justwhat they are getting when they buyOxypathors, the State Board of Health,through its agent, bought an Oxypathorof the Carolina Oxypathor Company,for which it paid $35. ProfessorBrowne, professor of physics and electricalengineering at A. and M. College,.Raleigh, was then asked to examine itfor any and every known force. Themost delicate tests failed to show thatany force whatsoever was generated ortransmitted by the apparatus whentested according to the directions givenin the Oxypathor "Direction Book" accompanyingit. Professor Browne wasthen asked to take it apart and findhow it was made. The carefullymilled caps at either end might indicatethat they could be unscrewed.Not so. A vigorous application ofwrenches and pipe tongs failed toloosen them. The gas pipe was thensawed open, and was found to containabout a handful of black, gritty powder.Perlaps for the purpose of reinforcingthe caps at either end, a solidbar about one-half inch in diameterextended through the pipe from cap tocap. The powder found in the pipewas turned over to Prof. W. A. Withers,professor of chemistry at A. andM. College, with the request that heexamine it. His report shows that it.consistsofCarbon (free) 28.36%Silica 27.46%Carbon Dioxoide 8.37%Magnesium Oxide 7.61%Antimony 7.26%Aluminum Oxide 5.65%Sulphur 4.97%