Henry Bollmann Condy (8 July 1826 – 24 September 1907) was an English

chemist A chemist (from Greek ''chēm(ía)'' alchemy; replacing ''chymist'' from Medieval Latin ''alchemist'') is a graduated scientist trained in the study of chemistry, or an officially enrolled student in the field. Chemists study the composition of ...

and

industrialist A business magnate, also known as an industrialist or tycoon, is a person who is a powerful entrepreneur and investor who controls, through personal enterprise ownership or a dominant shareholding position, a firm or industry whose goods or ser ...

best noted for giving his name to the popular 19th and 20th century

disinfectants A disinfectant is a chemical substance or compound used to inactivate or destroy microorganisms on inert surfaces. Disinfection does not necessarily kill all microorganisms, especially resistant bacterial spores; it is less effective than ...

Condy's Crystals and Condy's Fluid. Condy was born in London. His mother inherited a chemical factory in

Battersea Battersea is a large district in southwest London, part of the London Borough of Wandsworth, England. It is centred southwest of Charing Cross and also extends along the south bank of the Thames Tideway. It includes the Battersea Park. Hist ...

from a Hungarian chemist named Dr Bollmann. A company was eventually set up in

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

that was known variously as Bollmann Condy and Co., Condy and Co., Condy Brothers and Co., Condy's Fluid Co., and Condy and Mitchell Ltd. The company began as a firm of

vinegar Vinegar () is an aqueous solution of diluted acetic acid and trace compounds that may include flavorings. Vinegar typically contains from 5% to 18% acetic acid by volume. Usually, the acetic acid is produced by a double fermentation, converting ...

manufacturers and

drysalter Drysalters were dealers in a range of chemical products, including glue, varnish, dye and colourings. They might supply salt or chemicals for preserving food and sometimes also sold pickles, dried meat or related items. The name ''drysalter'' or '' ...

s. It later moved into

essential oil An essential oil is a concentrated hydrophobic liquid containing volatile (easily evaporated at normal temperatures) chemical compounds from plants. Essential oils are also known as volatile oils, ethereal oils, aetheroleum, or simply as the ...

vitriol Vitriol is the general chemical name encompassing a class of chemical compounds comprising sulfates of certain metalsoriginally, iron or copper. Those mineral substances were distinguished by their color, such as green vitriol for hydrated iron(I ...

and

disinfectant A disinfectant is a chemical substance or compound used to inactivate or destroy microorganisms on inert surfaces. Disinfection does not necessarily kill all microorganisms, especially resistant bacterial spores; it is less effective than ...

production. Condy became a partner in the company in 1854. Condy had an interest in disinfectants and marketed products such as "ozonised water". He developed and patented "Condy's fluid" in 1857. Condy’s fluid was a disinfectant solution of

alkaline In chemistry, an alkali (; from the Arabic word , ) is a basic salt of an alkali metal or an alkaline earth metal. An alkali can also be defined as a base that dissolves in water. A solution of a soluble base has a pH greater than 7.0. The ...

manganate In inorganic nomenclature, a manganate is any negatively charged molecular entity with manganese as the central atom.. However, the name is usually used to refer to the tetraoxidomanganate(2−) anion, MnO, also known as manganate(VI) because it c ...

s and

permanganate A permanganate () is a chemical compound with the manganate(VII) ion, , the conjugate base of permanganic acid. Because the manganese atom has a +7 oxidation state, the permanganate(VII) ion is a strong oxidising agent. The ion is a transition ...

s that could be taken internally or used externally. It had various indications including the treatment and prevention of

scarlet fever Scarlet fever, also known as scarlatina, is an infectious disease caused by ''Streptococcus pyogenes'', a Group A streptococcus (GAS). It most commonly affects children between five and 15 years of age. The signs and symptoms include a sore ...

. A more stable crystalline version of Condy's fluid was subsequently developed and marketed as Condy's Crystals or Condy's Powder. The fluid and crystals were both manufactured at the company’s works in Battersea between 1867 and 1897. The factory was taken over by Morgan Crucible. He died in

Folkestone Folkestone ( ) is a coastal town on the English Channel, in Kent, south-east England. The town lies on the southern edge of the North Downs at a valley between two cliffs. It was an important harbour, shipping port, and fashionable coastal res ...

, Kent.

Footnote

Advertisements that appeared in the Kingston newspaper The

Gleaner A gleaner(Noun) is a person who engages in gleaning, utilizing crops and resources left behind in a harvest. Newspapers *''The Gleaner'', a newspaper of record in Kingston, Jamaica, published by: **The Gleaner Company, a newspaper publishing enter ...

Newspaper archive
/ref> during the 1860s and 1870s claimed that Condy's fluid was used * To prevent the communication of Infectious Diseases * To purify Sick Rooms and the Wards of Hospitals and Crowded Places. * To disinfect water * To purify Stagnant Water * To purify Cattle Dog and where offensive matter lies about. * To ensure Purity of Water employed for drinking -which frequently contains much organic matter * To purify fever wards or -in cases of death- from a contagious disease or to prevent offensive effluvia arising from a dead body * To purify sick persons * To deprive Night-chairs of offensive odour * To purify the atmosphere of Rooms in which there are Dead for the Visits of Undertakers and Jurymen * To sweeten Musty odours * To destroy Canker and Fungus on Trees * To purify Bilge Water in a Ship's Well To parity with the Interior or Hold of a Ship * To extirpate from Fowl-Houses and to preserve the health of Fowl * To disinfect the Sail while emptying Cess-pools

References

Pamphlets by Condy *Disinfection and the Prevention of Disease; Henry Bollmann Condy (1862) *On the purification of water & air,: And the use of the alkaline permanganates as purifying agents ; Henry Bollmann Condy ; Publisher: J.W. Davies (1862) *Patent Disputes *Chemical News and Journal of Physical Science (1867)- Page 193

External links

Original Advertisements

Notable Commendations

Nursing Record
June 16, 1892, pg 493, an editorial describing the high place of Condy's products. {{DEFAULTSORT:Condy, Henry Bollmann Condy, H.B. 19th-century English businesspeople 1826 births 1907 deaths 19th-century English chemists