An antique collector just gave me the remains of a G. Pilling and Son
"Special Sphygmomanometer" for possible use in a history of medicine
exhibition. The cuff and hoses are gone, the short rubber hose
connection to the glass tubing is broken. There are a couple of tiny
silvery balls--not liquid--rolling around the wooden case. I can see
a dark gray coating on the inside of the glass tubing, but no liquid
mercury.
Presumably the mercury spilled or was drained off long ago. What
safety precautions should we take in handling, displaying, storing
the thing? Anything else to take into consideration?
Many thanks,
Karen Reeds
--
Karen Reeds, Ph.D., FLS, Project Director
New Jersey Medical School--The First Half-Century: An Oral History Project
Curator, "A State of Health: New Jersey's Medical Heritage"
For information about hosting the exhibition: (973) 972-7830.
Exhibition catalogue available from Rutgers University Press, (800) 446-9323
http://rutgerspress.rutgers.edu/
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