Fever detection has changed, for the better
Time to feed the fires of conspiracy theory. Here’s one: the price of fever thermometers is being driven up by hoarding, in case of an influenza pandemic. There; my part is done.
We actually went out to purchase a new thermometer this evening. For some inexplicable reason, I can’t call up the weather channel to check and see if my predicted body temperature will be in the range of 37.0C/98.6F for the next few days. Something about my not asking the right question. There’s been no really good reason to purchase a replacement probe for the last decade or so, now that our “time of babies” is past. If someone feels sick, someone else can provide the head on forehead that has worked for generations.
However, we’re heading into troubling times, so I thought we should see what’s new in the world of our local pharmacies. First of all, mercury is out. Or gone. No longer on the shelves. Considered to be toxic, which is good enough for me. There are tiny affairs that will indicate the detected temperature, in either C or F on a high-tech LCD display. There are things that you can stick in your ear (how Star Trek has changed our lives). There are probably things that you can stick on your forehead that will glow in the dark (I exaggerate, barely). The purchase has been made. Now, let’s see if we can go for another few years without need for it.
Nowadays, the pharmacy doubles as the local global emporium, so we also purchased hundreds (no exaggeration) of packages of geegaws that will bring great joy to a group of scrapbookers in a local school.
