It having been found that certain forms of bacteria were not destroyed by simple dry heat, the principle of this machine is to place infected articles subject to them to the influence of steam of a certain pressure, and this without destroying or injuring the articles themselves (with some few exceptions as regards leather and goods of a similar class) completely destroys all germs of life, bacteria, grubs, insects, etc. There can be no scorching of the goods; the steam penetrates to every part of them, and when it has completely disinfected them and has been allowed to escape, a few minutes' retention in the chamber ensures the dryness of the goods when withdrawn.
The hot chamber itself is constructed of wrought iron or steel, being steam jacketed, and it is commonly arranged with a floor at each end, so that infected goods always go in at one end and, when disinfected, are removed at the other into a room in which no goods in an infected condition are allowed to enter. The machine is equipped with steam valves and gauges, and is very simple to work. I enclose a rough sketch-plan of two possible arrangements of the above apparatus, which may serve, perhaps, to give some indication of the amount of space...
Page 147