Apparatus for heat therapy by inhalation

Claim 1

Apparatus for providing heat therapy by inhalation, comprising: wall means defining an enclosure for heating at its boiling temperature a quantum of aqueous liquid when contained therein to a level which incompletely fills said enclosure, leaving a headspace of said enclosure unfilled by aqueous liquid above said level; a tube having an inlet end and an outlet end, said inlet end of said tube opening into said headspace of said enclosure and said outlet end of said tube being provided with a nozzle; a pipe secured to said wall means and having an inlet end and an outlet end, said inlet end of said pipe being adapted to be open to the atmosphere, and said outlet end of said pipe including means adapted to provide from said headspace and from the atmosphere, in use, a hot, moist air mixture for inhalation by a user for providing heat therapy for the user; said pipe, intermediate said inlet and said outlet ends thereof having surface means defining a neck of a venturi therein; said nozzle of said tube opening into said venturi neck, towards said outlet end of said pipe, so that as pressurized steam issues from said nozzle, atmospheric air will be drawn into said pipe through said inlet end of said pipe and form with said steam at said nozzle a hot, moist air mixture; said nozzle and said venturi neck being dimensioned to provide, in use, a hot moist air mixture having a temperature within the range of 38°-50° C.; and a second tube secured to said wall means and having an open inlet end disposed below said level in said enclosure and having an open outlet end disposed in said pipe adjacent said nozzle and being adapted to supply, in use, heated aqueous liquid drawn thereinto from said enclosure to said hot, moist air mixture for inhalation by the user, as droplets having sized in the range of 2-20 μm.