Object ID Number:
2017.000.051
Object Name:
Sphygmomanometer
Type:
Mercury Sphygmomanometer
Manufacturer:
W.A. Baum Co. Inc – New York
Date of Manufacture:
/ /
Manufactured from:
1920
Manufactured to:
1940
Description / History:
This mercury sphygmomanometer is the Super–sphyg Baumanometer Desk Model. Mercury Baumanometers were regarded for their accuracy and never needed recalibration. This model has brown rubber tubing, a black rubber pump, and a black cloth arm cuff. It has a capacity of 300 millimeters mercury. It contrasts the other super–sphyg manometer in the EHMHF collection in that the measurements are on an ivory placard. This dates this instrument to the 1920s.
Dimensions:
H–2.5 W–4.75 L–15 inches
Additional Information:
In 1917, the Baumanometer was developed by William A. Baum, a worker in a large clinic which engaged in pre–employment physical exams. Baum's design was the first of the sphygmomanometers which needed no adjustments or recalibration, and its well–sealed tube prevented oxidation of the mercury used for measurement. Its simplicity and striking accuracy caused it to catch on with physicians across America, and variations of Baum's simple design stand today as some of the most popular blood pressure instruments.
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