# Oral Thermometer



## OldCootHillbilly (Jul 9, 2010)

Holy snorkel flats, who new it were so hard ta come by the old glass mercury oral thermometers!

I wanted a few ta put inta the disaster first aid kit. Why? Cause they don't use batteries! Only thin ya gotta be careful of be not breakin em. My thoughts on that be ta leave em in there original tubes an then ta put that in a pvc tube with extra stuffin in em.

I been lookin on ebay with mixed results. But mosta the time they thin the danged thins er gold plated er sumtin. I got my inlaws on the look out fer em to cause they always be goin ta sales an such.

My mother had several, but I'll be danged ifin I can find em.

I'll keep lookin, sooner er later I'll come up with some. Sometimes sure do miss the old days.


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## Country Living (Dec 15, 2009)

I have one I bought over 30 years ago that still has the original hard case. I've been looking at yard sales and estate sales hoping more will surface. I also check the local thrift shop when I'm in the area, although I'm not sure they can sell them.


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## Grimm (Sep 5, 2012)

This is why I store several hundred of the disposable thermometers.


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## weedygarden (Apr 27, 2011)

Grimm said:


> This is why I store several hundred of the disposable thermometers.


I wonder what the shelf life is for these? I still have a glass thermometer in my medicine cabinet, but I have a couple digitals for my first aide kit. I am concerned about how long they will work.


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## Cotton (Oct 12, 2013)

OldCootHillbilly said:


> Holy snorkel flats, who new it were so hard ta come by the old glass mercury oral thermometers!
> 
> I'll keep lookin, sooner er later I'll come up with some. Sometimes sure do miss the old days.


I became aware this situation several years ago doing prep lists. I called a friend who loves to attend estate sales. Problem solved, have more than a dozen squirreled away&#8230;

Actually, estate sales are a great way to find various small items now considered "irrelevant". The things most don't bid on!


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## jeff47041 (Jan 5, 2013)

Walgreens sells an oral thermometer that is mercury free, but works the same as the old ones. Some of the reviews aren't very good, others think it's great.

http://www.walgreens.com/store/c/geratherm-mercury-free-oral-thermometer/ID=prod396857-product


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## OldCootHillbilly (Jul 9, 2010)

I've seen them mercury free ones. I was set ta buy one an the more readin I did, the less I liked em. Seems ya gotta start em out in cool water first an they shouldn't be stored in a hot area. Niether one a them be real conducive ta a disaster kit.


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## BillM (Dec 29, 2010)

*Oral Thermometers*

Do you know how to tell the difference between an oral thermometer and a rectal thermometer ? -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------The Taste ! :rofl:


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## cowboyhermit (Nov 10, 2012)

I recently found some at a drug store (in Canada), they were cheap. I though that mercury ones were banned but ... :dunno:

The brand is Mansfield and they were only a couple bucks, like these but oral (at least in marketing), there were instructions for the other uses.
https://well.ca/products/mansfield-rectal-dual-scale_17327.html


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## OldCootHillbilly (Jul 9, 2010)

I found a place what I can order them from. Price were fantastic, like 2 cents each! What the sam hill am I gonna do with 10,000 thermometers! Plus ya gotta pay shipping and import tax. The search continues.


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## BillM (Dec 29, 2010)

*You could*



OldCootHillbilly said:


> I found a place what I can order them from. Price were fantastic, like 2 cents each! What the sam hill am I gonna do with 10,000 thermometers! Plus ya gotta pay shipping and import tax. The search continues.


You could take your temperature every day for the next 27 years 4 months and 9 days.


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## Justaguy987 (Mar 2, 2013)

BillM said:


> You could take your temperature every day for the next 27 years 4 months and 9 days.


Did you account for leap years in that figure?


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## Meerkat (May 31, 2011)

Why make something that works for a lifetime when you can make semthing that will milk the consumr for life? I still have one andits at least 20 years old.


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## Wellrounded (Sep 25, 2011)

I have a thermometer collection , it started with dairy thermometers and spread to anything I could get my hands on. Not collecting any more as it's become far too expensive. I love any old lab supplies, I have the most BEAUTIFUL blown glass pasteurizer, one of my prize possessions. If you can find old stuff hang onto it, they aint makin' stuff like that anymore. A few of my mercury thermometers are so tough and acurate.... they still read spot on 100 years after they were made. 
I've also bought many, many cheap made in China fish tank thermometers (for sale in my shop in by gone days) when they came in I'd test them, nothing unusual to be 10 deg C out. Always calibrate if they are not top quality, check even then. My daughter just spent a few $100 on a top quality humidity/temp system for her incubator (digital), first one she got was so far out it couldn't be re calibrated and they had to replace it.


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## Grimm (Sep 5, 2012)

BillM said:


> Do you know how to tell the difference between an oral thermometer and a rectal thermometer ? -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------The Taste ! :rofl:


Vintage mercury thermometers actually have weather they are oral or rectal marked next to the temperature scale.

Also the bulb on a rectal thermometer is round while an oral thermometer has a longer bulb.

You can use either for either as long as you clean them with alcohol.










http://www.cpmc.org/advanced/pediatrics/patients/topics/temperature.html


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## LincTex (Apr 1, 2011)

Grimm said:


> Vintage mercury thermometers ....
> https://img1.etsystatic.com/060/0/10352974/il_570xN.699910527_4lhe.jpg


I never thought I'd see them used as Christmas tree ornaments?


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## Woody (Nov 11, 2008)

Wellrounded said:


> I've also bought many, many cheap made in China fish tank thermometers (for sale in my shop in by gone days) when they came in I'd test them, nothing unusual to be 10 deg C out.


I had to buy a new outside thermometer a little while ago. There were 4 or 5 on the rack and they all read different temps. I put off buying one until I found a place with several kinds and bought one that read the average of all the others.

For my oral thermometer, I have the one that Mom used on the whole family. That makes from at least the early 1950's and has been a LOT of sick mouths!!!


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## OldCootHillbilly (Jul 9, 2010)

Horay! artydance:Won 3 on ebay! Works outa 5 dollars a piece what I can live with. Each one comes in it's own case. But, when they get here I'm goin ta design a secondary case out of pvc pipe an some other shock absorbing material to help protect them.

I wan't at least 2 in my disaster first aid kit and 1 on my day ta day kit. Still on the look out fer some more cause they be getting harder ta find reasonable.


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## OldCootHillbilly (Jul 9, 2010)

Meerkat said:


> Why make something that works for a lifetime when you can make semthing that will milk the consumr for life? I still have one andits at least 20 years old.


Exactly, I ain't got nothin gainst the digital ones. We got a couple in the cupboard. BUT, when the buffalo chips hit the rotary oscillator I don't wanna count on somethin what takes a battery anymore then necessary.

Thus the reason fer the old fashioned ones. I'm still lookin round the house here in boxes and such. I know my mother had several an I sure would never have thrown them out. I hope ta find em some time.


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## Grimm (Sep 5, 2012)

Uncle Coot,

If they are the 3 for $14.99 from ebay it will take 2 weeks for them to arrive. I bought from that seller too and they just arrived yesterday. I did get my hands on a box full of mercury thermometers so if you need more let me know. I have enough to last my family several generations+ All new in the packaging.


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