Cylindrical brass Novy Formaldehyde Generator with large rectangular brown wooden carrying case box (n); generator consists of a cylindrical stand (a) with circular base attached to hollow cylindrical top support by three evenly spaced vertical brass rods and has adjustable swinging handle with pai…
Cylindrical brass Novy Formaldehyde Generator with large rectangular brown wooden carrying case box (n); generator consists of a cylindrical stand (a) with circular base attached to hollow cylindrical top support by three evenly spaced vertical brass rods and has adjustable swinging handle with painted black wooden grip attached to top; roughly conical removable container tank (b) attaches to top of base and has a flat bottom and rounded top with funnel, winged cylindrical funnel plug (e) and circular hole for cylindrical inclined tube (f) attachment; roughly cylindrical burner lamp (c) with extendable pump on side, cap and spout, and burner with removable cap (d) extending vertically from centre sits on bottom of stand; additional accessories include two cylindrical tube attachments (g,h), a cylindrical brass rod with ring handle (i), a cylindrical brass pump (j), a cylindrical steel plunger with ring handle (k), a cylindrical clear glass dropper (l), and an additional flat metal component piece; box has metal handle at top, hinged door on front with paper product label attached to inside, and small wooden box and leather straps for holding accessories on inside walls; four rectangular tan paper documents accompany the generator, including a generator instruction leaflet, a formaldehyde information leaflet, a burner lamp direction sheet, and a thick burner lamp direction tag.
Number Of Parts
18
Part Names
a - stand - Length 35.5 cm x Diameter 23.0 cm
b - container tank - Length 20.9 cm x Diameter 15.9 cm
c - burner lamp - Length 20.0 cm x Width 18.9 cm x Depth 18.0 cm
d - lamp cap - Length 5.6 cm x Diameter 2.4 cm
e - funnel plug - Length 4.3 cm x Width 2.5 cm x Depth 0.9 cm
f - inclined tube - Length 40.1 cm x Width 3.6 cm x Depth 1.4 cm
g - tube attachment - Length 10.0 cm x Diameter 0.8 cm
h - tube attachment - Length 10.1 cm x Diameter 1.0 cm
i - rod - Length 46.0 cm x Width 4.5 cm x Depth 0.3 cm
j - pump - Length 32.2 cm x Width 3.7 cm x Depth 2.1 cm
k - plunger - Length 21.0 cm x Width 2.6 cm x Depth 0.3 cm
l - glass dropper - Length 8.4 cm x Diameter 1.0 cm
m - metal piece - Length 11.3 cm x Width 1.7 cm x Depth 0.9 cm
n - box - Length 55.4 cm x Width 28.5 cm x Depth 27.0 cm
o - instruction leaflet - Length 17.0 cm x Width 12.0 cm
p - information leaflet - Length 17.0 cm x Width 12.0 cm
q - directions page - Length 26.7 cm x Width 12.2 cm
r - directions tag - Length 19.2 cm x Width 10.5 cm
Provenance
Owner bought object at the Toronto Downtown Antique Show from Lutie Ann Presley of Dunsford, Ontario, on November 22, 1997.
Engraved in in front of top support of stand: “THE NOVY // FORMALDEHYDE GENERATOR // PARKE DAVIS & CO.”; printed on paper label inside box door: “Formaldehyde // Generator // (DR. F. G. NOVY). // PARKE, DAVIS & CO., // DETROIT, MICHIGAN, // U. S. A.”
Permanent Location
Storage Room 0007
a-n -0007-Q2-1
Storage Room 2005
o-r - 2005-2-5 Box 23
Unit Of Measure
centimeters
Condition Remarks
Minor corrosion all over brass, especially on undersides and not readily visible areas; iridescent discolouration in several areas of brass, possible from over cleaning or cleaning residue; moderate inactive corrosion all over ferrous metal parts; rubber on ; approximately 2.0 cm crack in front of circular brass base
Dr. F. G. Novy. Nature 138, 67 (1936), Nature.com, Springer Nature Limited, 2020.
Research Facts
Formaldehyde was used during the late 1800s and early 1900s as a disinfectant; generators like the Novy model produced by Parke Davis & Co. vaporized the formaldehyde using a kerosene lamp as a heat source to disinfect entire rooms; other models required that the generator be placed inside the room, activated, and then the operator would have to quickly leave and seal the room; the Novy model utilized an attachment that was designed to pump the gas into a room through the keyhole, making it possible to operate the generator from outside the room.
The generator was developed by Professor Frederick George Novy, pioneer in the field of bacteriology who studied under both Kach and Pasteur; he was a professor of bacteriology and dean of the Medical School of the University of Michigan.