Antique Alformant Hygiene Lamp Formalin Company Hospital Funeral Home

This is a Victorian hygiene lamp and would have been used in hospitals or funeral homes. It was made by The Formalin Hygiene Company and was known as a Alformant Hygiene Lamp. It provides a wonderful glimpse into traditional methods of thorough disinfection for rooms, bedding, and furniture, mostly used in hospitals, but would have been used elsewhere too. The lamp was designed to emit antiseptic vapors to sanitize a room. A formalin tablet (not included!) would be placed in the blue container at the top of the lamp, and then the spirit lamp base would be lit. The lamp would then be left in a closed/sealed room to sanitize it. This would often take 24 hours for best effect.