Object ID Number:
2017.000.081
Object Name:
Sphygmomanometer
Type:
Mercury Sphygmomanometer
Manufacturer:
W.A. Baum Co. Inc – New York
Manufactured from:
1935
Manufactured to:
1950
Description / History:
This mercury sphygmomanometer is the Kit Bag
Model made by W.A. Baum Co. Inc. in New York. It is in a wooden case.
Inside, there is black rubber tubing and a black rubber pump. It has a
capacity of 260 millimeters mercury.The green arm cuff reads "Tycos",
and was made by Taylor Instrument Company out of Rochester, New York.
The patent number dates this instrument to the 1930s; however, an
engraving in the lid in indicates that this instrument was used by the
U.S. Army Medical Department during World War II, dating the use of this
machine from 1939–1945. Additionally, all of the precision instruments
and parts made by Taylor Instrument Company during WWII went to the war
effort with none for consumer use. This company was also involved in
developing ultra–secret pressure apparatuses for the Manhattan Project
(the atomic bomb).
Dimensions:
H–2.25 W–4.25 L–12.3 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.