Question

Describe a clinical thermometer. How does it differ from the thermometer used in laboratory?

Answer 1

A device used to measure human or animal body temperature is called clinical thermometer. The tip of the thermometer is put under armpit or tongue inside the mouth or into the rectum via the anus.

Laboratory thermometer is not used to measure animal or human body temperature while the clinical thermometer is used to measure the body temperature. The range of clinical thermometer is from 35° to 42°C. while that of laboratory thermometer is -10° to 110°C. Measuring scale or least count of both the thermometers are different.

The clinical thermometer can be electronic or mercury-based and shows the presence of a kink that allows steady hold of mercury so the value can be read for a longer time interval in comparison to a laboratory thermometer which can be both mercury or alcohol based. Various other materials other than alcohol are also used. There's no kink or blub present to hold the mercury. Hence, the reading begins to drop as soon as withdrawn from the medium of observation.