Faichney Glass Thermometers – Vintage Mercury Fever Thermometers

For much of the 20th century, Faichney Instrument Corporation was one of America's leading makers of precision glass clinical thermometers. Based in Watertown, New York, the company produced oral, rectal, basal, and pediatric thermometers for doctors, hospitals, pharmacies, and families.

From their finely marked glass stems to their distinctive cases, Faichney glass thermometers have become collectible examples of vintage American medical equipment. Today, they are lasting reminders of an era when glass clinical thermometers were standard equipment in hospitals, doctors' offices, and family medicine cabinets.

History of Faichney Instrument Corporation

Faichney's thermometer-making history in Watertown, New York, dates to 1888, when the Glass Thermometry Company was established there. Historical records from the period also identify Faichney & Blodgett as manufacturers of medical thermometers in Watertown. The business later became Faichney Instrument Company in 1920 and developed into a major manufacturer of mercury-in-glass clinical thermometers.

By the middle of the 20th century, Faichney described itself as the largest clinical thermometer company in the world. The company produced a broad range of thermometers for professional and household use, including an important line of pediatric thermometers. According to the family of the company's former owners, Faichney was also the largest supplier of pediatric thermometers in the United States.

Faichney built its reputation on precision glass thermometry and supplied thermometers to hospitals, physicians, pharmacies, government agencies, and consumers throughout the United States. Its products competed with those of other prominent American thermometer manufacturers, including Becton, Dickinson & Co. and Taylor Instrument Companies.

Oral and Rectal Faichney Mercury Thermometers

Like other leading manufacturers of the era, Faichney produced separate thermometers for oral and rectal use, as well as specialized pediatric and basal thermometers.

Oral thermometers – Designed for taking body temperature by mouth and typically made with a relatively slender bulb and stem.
Rectal thermometers – Generally designed with a shorter or differently shaped bulb to distinguish them from oral thermometers and make them appropriate for rectal use.
Pediatric thermometers – Faichney manufactured thermometers specifically intended for use with infants and children, an important part of the company's clinical thermometer business.
Basal thermometers – Designed to measure the relatively small changes in basal body temperature used in fertility and reproductive health monitoring.

Traditional Faichney clinical thermometers used a constriction in the capillary near the mercury reservoir. This allowed the mercury column to remain at the highest temperature reached after the thermometer was removed from the patient. The thermometer could then be read and later "shaken down" before its next use.

This maximum-registering design was a defining feature of traditional mercury fever thermometers and made them practical for doctors, nurses, and home caregivers.

Faichney Pediatric Thermometers

Pediatric thermometers were an important part of Faichney's product line. The company developed thermometer designs intended to make taking the temperature of infants and children safer and more practical.

Period advertising demonstrates that Faichney was promoting specialized thermometer bulb designs for taking children's temperatures by the 1920s. Family history supplied by descendants of the company's former owners indicates that Faichney eventually became the largest U.S. supplier of pediatric thermometers, in addition to its extensive standard clinical thermometer business.

Vintage Faichney pediatric thermometers are particularly interesting today because their specialized shapes and designs help illustrate how thermometer manufacturers adapted traditional glass thermometry for different patients and medical applications.

Packaging and Branding Through the Decades

Faichney thermometers were sold in a variety of protective cases and retail packages over their long production history. Earlier examples may be found in traditional protective cases, while later thermometers were packaged in increasingly modern cardboard and plastic containers.

Packaging, typography, logos, model names, and case construction can all provide useful clues when attempting to determine the approximate age of a vintage Faichney thermometer. Because packaging changed over time and different product lines could be sold simultaneously, collectors should consider several characteristics rather than relying on case style alone when dating an example.

Many surviving thermometers are marked with the Faichney name and Watertown, New York, making them readily identifiable today. Original boxes, instructions, and protective cases are especially useful for identifying particular models and determining their intended use.

Collecting Vintage Faichney Fever Thermometers

Faichney thermometers remain interesting to collectors of vintage medical equipment because of the company's long history and its importance in American clinical thermometer manufacturing.

Factors that can affect the collectibility of a vintage Faichney thermometer include:

Condition – An intact glass thermometer with a readable scale and undamaged mercury column is generally more desirable.
Completeness – The original protective case, cardboard box, instructions, or other paperwork can make an example more interesting to collectors.
Type – Pediatric, basal, unusual clinical designs, and older examples may be particularly interesting.
Age – Earlier Faichney thermometers can provide a glimpse into the development of American clinical thermometry.
Packaging – Original packaging can help identify and date a thermometer and is collectible in its own right.
Model and markings – Unusual model names, specialized scales, institutional markings, and other identifying features can add historical interest.

Because many vintage Faichney fever thermometers contain mercury, they should be handled and stored carefully. Keep mercury thermometers protected from breakage and away from children and pets. Unwanted mercury thermometers should be disposed of according to local household hazardous-waste requirements rather than placed in ordinary household trash.

A Lasting Legacy

Although the Faichney name is no longer familiar to most consumers, Faichney Instrument Corporation was an important American manufacturer of clinical thermometers. From its roots in Watertown, New York, in the late 19th century, the company grew into a major producer serving the medical profession and American households.

Faichney's extensive production of oral, rectal, pediatric, basal, and other clinical thermometers left behind a remarkable variety of surviving examples. Many remain complete with their original cases and packaging decades after they were manufactured.

Today, vintage Faichney glass thermometers preserve a small but fascinating piece of American medical history and demonstrate the precision glassmaking and specialized manufacturing that once went into an everyday medical instrument.