Danchells Patent Water Testing Kit by the London & General Water Purifying Company

For sale, a rare early Victorian Danchell’s Patent Water Testing Kit by The London & General Water Purifying Company Limited of 157 The Strand, London.

This wonderfully complete set is comprised of a three-tiered circular stand holding seven glass stoppered tubes retaining their original numbered labels and contents. The central shaft of the stand has Danchell’s patent and the Royal cypher in relief with the manufacturing company’s name below. The hollow centre of the shaft is fitted with two small test tubes which may be rested within hanging loops attached to the exterior of the shaft whilst in use. A small glass dropper is also stowed in the centre to allow the user to apply the various tests to water samples contained within the test tubes.

The set comes complete with its original two-part stiff card case which is covered in its original black leather covering. The lid is further embossed “Danchell’s Patent Water Tests” and “The London & General Water Purifying Company Ltd – 157 Strand”.

As part of the set, I also include a very rare copy of the original accompanying publication, “Water: Its impurities and purification by The London & General Water Purifying Company Ltd”. A section of the booklet explaining Danchell’s water test kit is produced but further detail relating to the individual tests is also documented within the booklet:

“Few persons are sufficiently initiated in the mysteries of chemistry to be able to institute enquiries whether a water is pure or not; nor are the ingredients always at hand. This little apparatus constitutes a little laboratory in itself, enabling anyone, if ever so little acquainted with chemistry, to find out whether a water contains any of the impurities generally met with in water. To the head of every family it presents a ready means of ascertaining the purity of the water used in the household; to the keeper of horses and cattle it will point out many of the sources hitherto concealed of the mysterious diseases from which they suffer; the agriculturist will, by its means, be enabled to determine the probably advantages to be derived from the use of any particular water for irrigation; the manufacturer may ascertain the nature and suitableness of the water supplied for his use; whilst to emigrants about to choose their future home it will have an especial value, as indicating the localities which, for the preservation of health, are to be chosen or avoided. And although the little apparatus has no pretensions to supply the place of, or dispense with, the necessity for an accurate qualitative and quantitative chemical analysis, yet it will be found of use by medical and scientific men who may have occasion to ascertain, in a ready way, whether any of the more usual impurities are present or not in water.

DIRECTIONS FOR USE: Two test tubes are provided, so as to permit of two descriptions of water being operated on at the same time, thus allowing a comparison to be made of their respective degrees of purity. These tubes in the small apparatus (but not in the large) fit into hinged hoops attached the to the frame holding the bottles. To save the trouble and uncertainty of dropping the fluids from the bottles, a dropping glass is provided: by inserting its point into the bottle of test fluid required, and placing the thumb upon the other opening, the requisite quantity can be readily conveyed to the water, and allowed to drop into it by simply relaxing the pressure.

All these tests are dependent upon the appearance presented by the water after the addition of one or other of the test fluids. The best method of observing this appearance is by looking from above down into the tube; not, however, holding it against the light, but against some dark object, when the cloudy appearance caused by the presence of the object sought for will, if it be present, be readily observed.