viscometer
Date: 1949-1960
Inventory Number: 2003-1-0093
Classification: Viscometer
Subject:
Maker: Hellige, Inc. (fl. 1949)
User: John B. Little
User: Harvard School of Public Health (founded 1913)
Cultural Region:
Place of Origin:
City of Use:
Dimensions:
instrument: 3.5 × 26.9 × 6 cm (1 3/8 × 10 9/16 × 2 3/8 in.)
case: 6.3 × 32 × 11.2 cm (2 1/2 × 12 5/8 × 4 7/16 in.)
Accessories: wooden box
flexible black rubber tube with rigid white plastic connector at one end and a bulb-shaped glass chamber at the other end
metal pin with hardened red-rubber cap
DescriptionInstrument has a heavy narrow rectangular white-enameled metal base plate with a felt bottom and two mounted upturned clips, and two black-enameled pillars. One pillar features a metal line input and two adjacent outputs with black rubber collars. Two hollow thermometer-like glass gauges rest in each of the outputs and extend across the base to the second pillar, where they are held in place by a double spring clip. The glass tubes each have an open end. The middle third of the tube is marked by two ridges on either side, opaque glass, and a narrower bore. The third of each tube closest to the line inputs is marked off by a scale. One scale is numbered linearly, 7 through 0, with the 7 closest to the output on the pillar, with the other is numbered nonlinearly, .5, 1, 2, S, with a tick-mark between the 2 and the S.
Accompanied by flexible black rubber tube with rigid white plastic connector at one end and a bulb-shaped glass chamber at the other end. The glass chamber is connected to a short piece of rubber tubing serving as a cap on its other end. A small metal rod with hardened red-rubber cap rests in one of the case's slots. Lid of case has a piece of paper affixed with cellophane tape to its inner side. Paper is a list with two columns of degrees Centigrade from 20 to 40 and two columns with corresponding values of Centipoise from 1.00 to 0.66. This is the viscosity of water.
In the first column of the list, 20 to 30°C, increasing in increments of 1 degree C. In the second column, 1.00 to 0.80 Centipoise, decreasing in increments of 0.02 Centipoise. In the third column, 30 to 40°C, increasing in increments of 1 degree C. In the fourth column, 0.80 to 0.66 Centipoise, decreasing in irregular increments.
Instrument is kept in a wooden case with rusted metal hinges.
Accompanied by flexible black rubber tube with rigid white plastic connector at one end and a bulb-shaped glass chamber at the other end. The glass chamber is connected to a short piece of rubber tubing serving as a cap on its other end. A small metal rod with hardened red-rubber cap rests in one of the case's slots. Lid of case has a piece of paper affixed with cellophane tape to its inner side. Paper is a list with two columns of degrees Centigrade from 20 to 40 and two columns with corresponding values of Centipoise from 1.00 to 0.66. This is the viscosity of water.
In the first column of the list, 20 to 30°C, increasing in increments of 1 degree C. In the second column, 1.00 to 0.80 Centipoise, decreasing in increments of 0.02 Centipoise. In the third column, 30 to 40°C, increasing in increments of 1 degree C. In the fourth column, 0.80 to 0.66 Centipoise, decreasing in irregular increments.
Instrument is kept in a wooden case with rusted metal hinges.
Signedon base: MADE BY / HELLIGE, INC. / LONG ISLAND CITY NEW YORK, U.S.A.
Inscribedon base: HELLIGE / Viscometer
on glass gauges: 409 S HELLIGE No. 1200-VT / 409 R HELLIGE No. 1200-VT
on glass gauges: 409 S HELLIGE No. 1200-VT / 409 R HELLIGE No. 1200-VT
FunctionHellige Viscometers were used to measure the viscosities of blood, protein solutions, and other organic fluids.
The tube with the linear scale is the reference tube. The open end of this tube is to be placed in distilled water or some other suitable reference fluid and the fluid drawn to the 0 on the scale. Anticoagulated blood or some other sample fluid would be drawn to the point S in the other tube. The fluids would then be drawn simultaneously into the apparatus until the sample fluid was drawn to the 1 mark on the scale. The position of the reference fluid would be measured, which would yield the viscosity of the sample fluid. If the reference fluid is drawn past the 7 on the scale, the trial would be discarded and the sample fluid drawn only to point 2. The position of the reference fluid would in that case be multiplied by 2.
The tube with the linear scale is the reference tube. The open end of this tube is to be placed in distilled water or some other suitable reference fluid and the fluid drawn to the 0 on the scale. Anticoagulated blood or some other sample fluid would be drawn to the point S in the other tube. The fluids would then be drawn simultaneously into the apparatus until the sample fluid was drawn to the 1 mark on the scale. The position of the reference fluid would be measured, which would yield the viscosity of the sample fluid. If the reference fluid is drawn past the 7 on the scale, the trial would be discarded and the sample fluid drawn only to point 2. The position of the reference fluid would in that case be multiplied by 2.
Historical AttributesUsed by J.B. Little Physiology Lab, Harvard School of Public Health.
Primary SourcesSee an advertisement for the Hellige Viscometer on page 14 of an April 1949 issue of Science , available here.
ProvenanceJohn B. Little, Department of Cancer Cell Biology, Harvard School of Public Health; gift to CHSI, 2003.