A silver line runs along the numbers to show the temperature. You may see a blue line filling the extra space that is not taken by the silver line. The opposite end is color-coded. Green is for oral or axillary and red for rectal Picture 6. To be sure, check the package to know which thermometer you have. Mercury glass thermometer. Glass mercury thermometers also have a silver tip. A dark line runs along the numbers to show the temperature.
The tip of an oral or axillary glass mercury thermometer is long and narrow. The tip of a rectal glass mercury thermometer is short and round. The space that is not taken by the dark mercury line is usually clear.
If needed, shake the glass thermometer down. Grasp it firmly at the end opposite the tip and flick your wrist sharply. Take care to be away from people and objects before shaking Picture 9.
However, you may not need to call a doctor every time your child has a fever. If you call, be sure to state which method you used to take the temperature. Birth to 3 months Only choose rectal. Skip to Content. Mercury-in-glass thermometers are less used in the 21st century as preference is shifted to other types of thermometers, such as digital, alcohol-filled and organic-based thermometers. In the 20th century, the traditional clinical thermometer was a mercury -in-glass thermometer.
People put the end of this in their mouth oral temperature , under their arm, or in their rectum rectal temperature. It is only possible to find oral temperatures on patients who can hold the thermometer correctly in their mouth. So small children cannot use this method. It is also a problem for people with a cough or people who are vomiting. In the past it was a big problem because mercury thermometers needed a long time to measure the temperature.
Today's digital thermometers are faster. If a person drinks something hot or cold , one still needs to wait before testing their oral temperature. When measuring a person's rectal temperature, it helps to use a cream on the thermometer.
Rectal thermometers are usually more reliable since they aren't as much influenced by other factors. In some countries people think it is embarrassing to use them for people older than two or three. In other countries, it is considered normal for children and adults to use rectal thermometers. In the s, people in many countries thought mercury thermometers were too risky, as mercury is dangerous if it leaks out. Today we use electronic thermometers.
Sometimes thermometers with liquids are used, but not with mercury. There are other kinds of medical thermometers: tympanic thermometers test the temperature of the tympanic membrane the eardrum with infrared; band thermometers test a person's temperature on the front of their head.
Fifty-degree thermometers from the midth century on exhibit at the Museo Galileo with black dots representing single degrees and white represented degree increments; used to measure atmospheric temperatures. Mercury-in-glass thermometer. The " Boyce MotoMeter " radiator cap on a Car-Nation automobile, used to measure temperature of vapor in s and s cars.
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