The History Behind the Invention of Gas Masks

The History Behind the Invention of Gas Masks Inventions that aid and protect the ability to breathe in the presence of gas, smoke or other poisonous fumes were being made before the first use of modern chemical weapons. Modern chemical warfare began on April 22, 1915, when German soldiers first used chlorine gas to attack the French in Ypres. But long before 1915, miners, firemen and underwater divers all had a need for helmets that could provide breathable air. Early prototypes for gas masks were developed to meet those needs. Early Fire Fighting and Diving Masks In 1823, brothers  John and Charles Deane patented a smoke protecting apparatus for firemen that was later modified for underwater divers. In 1819, Augustus Siebe marketed an early diving suit. Siebes suit included a helmet in which air was pumped via a tube to the helmet and spent air escaped from another tube. The inventor founded Siebe, Gorman, and Co to develop and manufacture respirators for a variety of purposes and was later instrumental in developing defense respirators. In 1849, Lewis P. Haslett patented an Inhaler or Lung Protector, the first U.S. patent (#6529) issued for an air purifying respirator. Hasletts device filtered dust from the air. In 1854, Scottish chemist John Stenhouse invented a simple mask that used charcoal to filter noxious gasses. In 1860, Frenchmen, Benoit Rouquayrol, and Auguste Denayrouze invented the Rà ©sevoir-Rà ©gulateur, which was intended for use in rescuing miners in flooded mines. The Rà ©sevoir-Rà ©gulateur could be used underwater. The device was made up of a nose clip and a mouthpiece attached to an air tank that the rescue worker carried on his back. In 1871, British physicist John Tyndall invented a firemans respirator that filtered air against smoke and gas. In 1874, British inventor  Samuel Barton patented a device that permitted respiration in places where the atmosphere is charged with noxious gasses, or vapors, smoke, or other impurities, according to U.S. patent #148868. Garrett Morgan American  Garrett Morgan patented the Morgan safety hood and smoke protector in 1914. Two years later, Morgan made national news when his gas mask was used to rescue 32 men trapped during an explosion in an underground tunnel 250 feet beneath Lake Erie. The publicity led to the sale of the safety hood to firehouses across the United States. Some historians cite the Morgan design as the basis for early U.S. army gas masks used during WWI. Early air filters include simple devices such as a soaked handkerchief held over the nose and mouth. Those devices evolved into various hoods worn over the head and soaked with protective chemicals. Goggles for the eyes and later filters drums were added. Carbon Monoxide Respirator The British built a carbon monoxide respirator for use during WWI  in 1915, before the first use of chemical gas weapons. It was then discovered that unexploded enemy shells gave off high enough levels of carbon monoxide to kill soldiers in the trenches, foxholes and other contained environments. This is similar to the dangers of the exhaust from a car with its engine turned on in an enclosed garage. Cluny Macpherson Canadian  Cluny Macpherson designed a fabric smoke helmet with a single exhaling tube that came with chemical sorbents to defeat the airborne chlorine used in the gas attacks. Macphersons designs were used and modified by allied forces and are considered the first to be used to protect against chemical weapons. British Small Box Respirator In 1916, the Germans added larger air filter drums containing gas neutralizing chemicals to their respirators. The allies soon added filter drums to their respirators as well. One of the most notable gas masks used during WWI was the British Small Box Respirator or SBR designed in 1916. The SBR was probably the most reliable and heavily used gas masks used during WWI.

Themes of Shakespeares Comedy Measure for Measure

Themes of Shakespeares Comedy Measure for Measure Shakespeares Measure for Measure offers a number of themes, including: Judgment and PunishmentSexMarriageReligionThe Role of the Female Judgment and Punishment Measure for Measure asks the audience to consider how and to what extent one person can judge another. Just because someone holds a position of power doesnt indicate that the person is morally superior. The play questions whether it is possible to legislate issues of morality and how to do so. Had Claudio been executed, he would have left Juliet with a child and a tattered reputation. She would have no way to look after the child. Angelo was clearly in the wrong morally, but he was given a job to do and followed through. He wasn’t going to legislate against himself. The Duke has fallen in love with Isabella, Claudios sister, so  his decisions regarding punishment for Claudio and Angelo may have been skewed. The play suggests that people should be answerable for their sins but should receive the same treatment as they provided. Treat others as you would like to be treated, and if you commit a sin, expect to pay for it. Sex Sex is the main driver of the action in this play. In Vienna, illicit sex and prostitution are major social problems, resulting in illegitimacy and disease. This too is a concern for Shakespeare’s London, especially with the plague, as sex could result in death. Mistress Overdone represents the casual access to sex in the play. Claudio is sentenced to death by beheading for impregnating  his fiancà ©e. Isabella is told she can save her brother by having sex with Angelo, but she risks spiritual death and the death of her reputation. The play questions whether it is right for government to legislate against sexuality. Marriage Shakespeare’s comedies often are celebrated by a marriage, which is usually seen as a happy ending. In Measure for Measure, however, marriage is used as a punishment, Angelo is forced to marry Mariana and Lucio is forced to marry Mistress Overdone. This cynical look at marriage is unusual in a comedy. Ironically, marriage here is used to regulate and punish promiscuous behavior. Marriage saves the females reputation and gives them a position they would not have had. For Juliet, Mariana, and Mistress Overdone to an extent, this is the best option. Readers are asked to consider whether marriage would be a good option for Isabella, because she could marry the Duke and have a good social position, but does she love him or is she expected to marry him out of appreciation for what he has done for her? Religion The title of Measure for Measure comes from the gospel of Matthew. The plot includes a  passage where a hypocritical deputy sentences a man to death for fornication and then propositions a  woman. The main themes are associated with religion: morality, virtue, sin, punishment, death, and atonement. Its main character, Isabella, is obsessed with virtue, chastity, and her spiritual journey. The Duke spends most of his time dressed as a friar and Angelo has the attitude and demeanor of a puritan. The Role of the Female Each woman in the play is controlled by the forces of patriarchy. They are vastly different characters, but their social standing is limited by the men in their lives. A novice nun is blackmailed, a prostitute is arrested for running a brothel, and Mariana is jilted for not having a large enough dowry. Juliet and her unborn child are compromised by the attitudes she will face if she has an illegitimate child.