Communication is as old as time itself and, through the ages, scientists, inventors and free-thinkers have communicated effectively with each other and the scientific journals of the day to produce many valuable inventions which have revolutionised the lives of millions. In other cases, the progression from prototype to the final product has been long and painstaking. In the seventeenth century, John Harrison, inventor of the Marine Timepiece had to endure many setbacks, not only in the design and functionality of his invention, but also in the face of harsh opposition and incredulity from the so-called best minds of the day. While AGB Scientific is quite rightly seen as a forward thinking company, we retain our links with the past in a very special way - we have a museum of scientific artefacts at our Dublin headquarters. It is fascinating to see the origins of today's scientific instruments.
Precision balances used today can weigh to the nearest microgram.
In our museum, we have balances which date back to the eighteenth century, when coin balances were used to verify currency. The measurement of temperature has been vital for thousands of years. It is only relatively recently, with the advent of commercial electronics, that the design of glass thermometers has been improved. Co. Cork, made the first clinical thermometer, and we have an example of a Hicks marine thermometer in our museum. The pyrometer was made of brass, forming two graduated and converging channels.