Improvements in or connected with Clinical Thermometers.
Year: 1895

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or connected with Clinical Thermometers.
I, GEORGE BRITTAIN of 9 Little Britain in the City of London, Scientific
Instrument Maker, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
The invention relates to improvements in or connected with clinical thermometers.
Clinical thermometers as generally made, are divided with a scale ranging from
95° to 110° Fahrenheit, and this scale is more or less compressed, rendering the
subdivisions very minute and difficult to read off, and apart from the ordinary
divisions and figures of the scale there is nothing to indicate to a person using the
instrument the meaning of the temperature recorded, and it is therefore only
medical men or other persons having a more or less scientific knowledge who can
use the instrument with advantage.
Thermometers of this class are now sometimes to be found in ordinary house-
holds, and the use thereof would become more general but for the fact that some
amount of scientific knowledge is necessary in order to determine the meaning of
the temperature recorded.
Now the object of the present invention is to give a more open scale than
heretofore, and at the same time to clearly indicate in connection therewith the
significance that certain temperatures of the system denote from a medical point
of view.
For this purpose a scale is adopted commencing at 96° and extending to
108° Fahrenheit, and this scale is made as open as the range of the instrument
will admit, and is figured at every fourth degree, whilst the bulb is correspondingly
enlarged to give the required traverse of the mercury.
In connection with this scale various divisions are longitudinally thereof marked
with the effect, from a medical point of view, of the recorded temperature of the
system, that is to say from 96° to 98° the announcement "Too low i is marked,
whilst 98° to 99° is marked "Normal," 99° to 101° is marked "Too high," whilst
101° to 103° is marked "Fever," 103° to 105° is marked "High fever," and 105°
to 1080 is marked "Very high fever."
This scale divided and marked in this manner will make apparent to any unskilled
person without liability of mistake, the exact degree of heat of the system and its
medical significance, and thus any possibility of the indications of the mercury
being wrongly read off from the scale is entirely avoided.
The application of this device to a thermometer involves a very small additional
cost, whilst it renders the instrument a useful adjunct to the domestic medicine
chest.
Dated this 26th day of June 1895.
WHITE & WOODINGTON,
27 Southampton Buildings, London, Agents

page_text: improvements in or connected with Clinical Thermometers.
I, GEORGE BRITTAIN of 9 Little Britain in the City of London Scientific
Instrument Maker, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what
manner the same is to be performed to be particularly described and ascertained in
and by the following statement, reference being had to the drawing hereunto
annexed and to the letters and figures marked thereon, that is to say :-
The invention relates to improvements in or connected with clinical thermo-
meters.
Clinical thermometers as generally made, are divided with a scale ranging
from 95° to 110° Fahrenheit and this scale is more or less compressed, rendering
the subdivisions very minute and difficult to read off and apart from the ordinary
divisions and figures there is nothing to indicate to a person using the instrument
the meaning of the temperature recorded, and it is therefore only medical men or
other persons having a more or less scientific knowledge who can
instrument with advantage.
use the
Thermometers of this class are now sometimes to be found in ordinary
households and the use thereof would become more general but for the fact that
some amount of scientific knowledge is necessary in order to determine the meaning
of the temperature recorded.
Now the object of the present invention is to give a more open scale than
heretofore and at the same time to clearly indicate in connection there with the
significance that certain temperatures of the system denote from a medical point
of view.
In the accompanying drawing which illustrates a thermometer having the
present invention applied thereto, a represents the body of the thermometer
a represents the bulb a represents the bore, and a represents the scale.
In carrying the invention into effect the scale a³ is figured so as to commence
at 96° and extend to 108° Fahrenheit, and this scale is made as open as the range
of the instrument will admit and is figured at every fourth degree instead of every
fifth degree as heretofore, whilst in order to give the required traverse of the
mercury within the bore a² with relation to the scale as the bulb a¹ is corre-
spondingly enlarged or the bore a³ is correspondingly reduced.
In connection with this open scale a³ various divisions are longitudinally thereof
marked by engraving upon the glass, with an announcement of the effect from a
medical point of view of the recorded temperature of the human system that is to
say the division from 96° to 98° indicated by the letter "b" is marked with the
announcement "Too low " the division from 98° to 99° and indicated by the
letter "c" is marked "Normal"; 99° to 101° indicated by the letter "d" is
marked "Too high": whilst 101° to 103° indicated by the letter "e" is marked
"Fever": 103° to 105° indicated by the letter "f" is marked "High fever
and 105° to 108° indicated by the letter "g is marked "
The scale a divided and marked in the manner hereinbefore described will make
Very high fever."
apparent to any unskilled person without liability of mistake the exact degree of
heat of the system and its medical significance and thus any possibility of the
indications of the mercury being wrongly read off from the scale a' is entirely
avoided.
"
"
The application of these improvements to a thermometer involves a very small
additional cost, whilst it is a great assistance to medical men who commonly use
instruments of this character in a darkened room when the scale is difficult to read
and is also a useful adjunct to the domestic medicine chest.
I would have it understood that although I prefer to employ an open scale such
as that hereinbefore shown and described, I may apply the other features of my

page_text: invention to clinical thermometers provided with an ordinary scale whilst in lieu of
the terms herein before referred to, other equivalent terms such for example as
"Too cold" "Healthy "Too hot "Low fever" "Fever and "Dangerous
may be substituted therefor without departing from the spirit of my invention.
"
"
"
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said
invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :-
"
1. A clinical thermometer formed with a scale in which certain divisions are
marked by engraving on the glass, with words such, for example as "Too low
"Too high
"Fever
or the like, indicative of the medical significance of certain
temperatures with relation to the human system, substantially as herein shown and
described and for the purpose stated.
2. A clinical thermometer provided with an open or extended scale ranging from
96° to 108° figured at every fourth degree and formed with an enlarged bulb or
contracted bore to give the required additional traverse to the mercury, certain
divisions of the scale being marked by engraving on the glass with words such for
"Too low" "Too high
example as
"Fever
or the like indicative of the medical
significance of certain temperatures with relation to the human system, substantially
as herein shown and described and for the purpose stated.
Dated this 22nd day of October 1895.
"
WHITE & WOODINGTON,
27 Southampton Buildings, Loudon, Agents.