Currie type clinical thermometer, 1800-1810

Fahrenheit clinical thermometer, Currie's type, 1800-1810 Fahrenheit clinical thermometer, Currie's type, 1800-1810

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Fahrenheit clinical thermometer, Currie's type, 1800-1810
Science Museum Group Collection
© The Board of Trustees of the Science Museum

Fahrenheit clinical thermometer, Currie's type, 1800-1810
Science Museum Group Collection
© The Board of Trustees of the Science Museum

Fahrenheit clinical thermometer, Currie's type, 1800-1810, cased

Scottish physician James Currie (1756-1805) pioneered the clinical thermometer. This early example is one of a type he devised. The clinical thermometer differs from an ordinary thermometer. It measures only over a limited temperature range relating to body temperatures.

Such instruments were used in medicine for some time before 1850. However, it was only then they began being used as a precise means to diagnose disease. They were also used to predict a disease’s course through recognising the different temperature patterns of specific diseases. This example has a Fahrenheit scale. It is thought to have been made in England.

Details

Category:
Clinical Diagnosis
Collection:
Sir Henry Wellcome's Museum Collection
Object Number:
A600078
Materials:
glass, mercury, ivory, leatherette, fabric, cotton (textile) and complete
Measurements:
overall: 193 mm x 37 mm, 8 mm, 0.028 kg
type:
thermometer