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 scientist trained in the study of chemistry. Chemists study the composition of matter and its properties. Chemists carefully describe th ...

and

industrialist A business magnate, also known as a tycoon, is a person who has achieved immense wealth through the ownership of multiple lines of enterprise. The term characteristically refers to a powerful entrepreneur or investor who controls, through perso ...

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 st ...

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 south London, part of the London Borough of Wandsworth, England. It is centred southwest of Charing Cross and extends along the south bank of the River Thames. It includes the Battersea Park. History Batter ...

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

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

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 acetic acid and trace compounds that may include flavorings. Vinegar typically contains 5–8% acetic acid by volume. Usually, the acetic acid is produced by a double fermentation, converting simple sugars to et ...

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 o ...

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

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 st ...

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 ar, القلوي, al-qaly, lit=ashes of the saltwort) is a base (chemistry), basic, ionic compound, ionic salt (chemistry), salt of an alkali metal or an alkaline earth metal. An alkali can also be defined as ...

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 containing the manganate(VII) ion, , the conjugate base of permanganic acid. Because the manganese atom is in the +7 oxidation state, the permanganate(VII) ion is a strong oxidizing agent. The ion is a tra ...

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). The infection is a type of Group A streptococcal infection (Group A strep). It most commonly affects childr ...

. A more stable crystalline version of Condy's fluid was subsequently developed and marketed as Condy's Crystals or Cond'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 port 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 and shipping port for most of the 19th and 20t ...

, 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 1927 deaths 19th-century chemists