Recording Thermometers for Clinical Work. 555 



brated with sufficient accuracy by a single observation in a 

 water-bath at the ordinary room temperature with a reliable 

 mercury thermometer. If it is to be tested in a water-bath 

 at 40° or 50° 0., it should be protected by a thin copper 

 sheath. I have generally employed thermometers adjusted 

 to a fundamental interval of 10 ohms, giving a change of 

 one-tenth of an ohm per 1° C. Each thermometer is provided 

 with a balancing coil, the resistance of which is adjusted to 

 be equal to that of the thermometer at or near 37° C. 



The chief difficulty in obtaining reliable records of the 

 body temperature by means of a thermometer inserted in 

 the axilla, is that the indications are liable to be disturbed 

 by movements of the patient, more particularly by putting 

 the left arm out of bed, or by raising the bed-clothes and 

 admitting cold air in turning over from one side to the other. 



Fig. 8.. 



IX X A 6 



Axillary Thermometer A, with elastic band. 



9 a.m. 



Fig. 9. 



'* z ^ 6 



Axillary Thermometer B, with elastic band. 



8 



These effects are illustrated by the records shown in figs. 8 

 and 9, which were taken with different thermometers in the 



