Pulse glass, with grey powder, in wooden case, owned by Sir George Buchanan, English, 19th century

This sand glass looks like an old-fashioned egg timer. British epidemiologist and civil servant Sir George Buchanan (1831-1895) once owned it. He was once head of the Public Health Department in England. He used it as an aid when timing a patient’s pulse. It was filled with a grey powder. The sand glass was designed to run for exactly one minute.