Saturday, December 22, 2012

Invention of the Thermometer


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By Nurse Diane

My son recently moved to another city, and into a house instead of the apartments he previously rented.  His home has an attached garage, so he could get in his car without going outside.  With the weather being unusually cold down south, he was not used to wearing a coat or jacket in the mornings.  Well this particular morning, he left his warm home, went through his warm garage, and got in his warm car to drive to work.  Once he got out of his car, his body was shocked with the freezing temperature, which made his long walk to his office a bit chilly.
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My father laughed at him and then informed him that he needed an indoor/outdoor Thermometer. (Don’t tell, but he is getting one for Christmas!)
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Thermometers are wonderful tools with many uses.  As a nurse, the first thing that comes to mind is to check the body's temperature for fever.  A friend of mine spent many a childhood day warming a thermometer to get out of going to school.  He heated it just enough for a small fever, and didn't put it on the pipes to break the glass.
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These days a glass thermometer is difficult to find.  Reason being that the glass breaks, causing injury, and the mercury inside is harmful to your health.  These have been mainly replaced by digital thermometers, which are fast and accurate.  I am reminded of a nurse joke using a thermometer:

A big shot business man had to spend a couple of days in the hospital. He was a royal pain to the nurses because he bossed them around just like he did his employees. None of the hospital staff wanted to have anything to do with him.

The head nurse was the only one who could stand up to him. She came into his room and announced, “I have to take your temperature.”

After complaining for several minutes, he finally settled down, crossed his arms, and opened his mouth.

“No, I’m sorry, the nurse stated, “but for this reading, I can’t use an oral thermometer.

This started another round of complaining, but eventually he rolled over and bared his behind. After feeling the nurse insert the thermometer, he heard her announce, “I have to get something. Now you stay JUST LIKE THAT until I get back!”
She leaves the door to his room open on her way out. He curses under his breath as he hears people walking past his door, laughing.

After a half hour, the man’s doctor comes into the room. “What’s going on here?” asked the doctor.

Angrily, the man answers, “What’s the matter, Doc? Haven’t you ever seen someone having their temperature taken?”

After a pause, the doctor confesses, “Not with a carnation.”

I also use a digital thermometer while making my famous fudge, pralines and divinity at Christmas.  Comes in handy and you don't have to worry about a hard ball or soft ball stage.

Thermometers are also used to checking the temperature outside and inside, they also check the temperature of your vehicle to prevent from overheating.
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All this was made possible in 1724.  Gabriel Daniel Fahrenheit was the German physicist who invented the first practical thermometer, the mercury thermometer in 1714. In 1724, he developed the scale of temperature that bears his name, the Fahrenheit Scale.

So before you go outside today...check your thermometer, so you don’t freeze when you leave the house.

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