Images(10)

Bath, Water

Object number2022.2.1 a,b

Manufacturer Bio Chem Instruments Corporation (founded 1963)

Manufacturer Carol Cable Company

Dateafter 1963

OriginWest Germany

MediumMetal; Plastic; Glass; Mercury; Copper; Rubber; Foam; Electrical wiring

Credit LineGift of Nicholas Tarasi

DescriptionConstant temperature bath or circulating cryostat. Black and chrome metal scientific instrument. Square unit with slanted front face. Front is black with a large dial, numerous toggle switches and buttons, two fuses, a gauge, and product and maker text in white. Left, back, and right sides are silver chrome metal. Left and right sides have vent slots and one handle near top of each side. Back has a black dial and an opening with exposed fan and padded with yellowed foam; gray rubber electrical power cord protrudes from bottom center and ends in three-prong plug. Top is black and has two circular silver vats. Underside has numerous openings with electrical wires visible inside instrument. Removable cover panel sits atop base unit and is held captive horizontally by six clear plastic blocks that are screwed to the top of the base unit. The cover panel is plugged into the base unit via one cord. The top panel has protruding metal and plastic elements including a removeable thermometer/thermostat with chrome metal mount, fan cylinder unit, and two chrome handles. Underside of top panel, beneath fan cylinder unit, are four copper rods that are attached to a black disk. Top panel covers two circular silver vats inside the base unit. DimensionsHeight x Width x Depth (a-b together): 21.125 x 17.5 x 17.5 in. (53.7 x 44.5 x 44.5 cm)
Height x Width x Depth (a): 18.25 x 17.5 x 17.5 in. (46.4 x 44.5 x 44.5 cm)
Length (a - cord): 83.5 in. (212.1 cm)
Height x Width x Depth (b): 15 x 1.5 x 1.625 in. (38.1 x 3.8 x 4.1 cm)
Length (b - cord): 14 in. (35.6 cm)
Inscriptions(a)
Front face has black and white text including:
"DC AMPERES / Simpson";
"DO NOT EXCEED 30 AMPS.";
"LINE";
"COOLING / OFF";
"FUSE / 15 AMPS.";
"FUSE / 4 AMPS.";
"COOLING CAPACITY ADJUSTMENT";
"CONTROL HEATER / OFF";
"PUMP / OFF".

(b)
Black plastic cap has yellow text around the sides "1 2 3 4 5".

White plastic backer inside thermometer's glass case has two sections of black measurement lines:
The top section has text along viewer's left "3 / 2 / 1 / 0 / 1 / 2 / 3" and along the viewer's right are seven "0";
The bottom section has text along viewer's left "3 / 2 / 1 / 0 / 1 / 2 / 3" and along the viewer's right are seven "0" below the letter "C".
Marks(a)
Front face has white text in the viewer's top right quadrant "BIO CHEM INSTRUMENTS / Thermoelectric / CIRCULATING CRYOSTAT / MODEL 100W / PAT. PENDING".

Gray electrical cord has green label with black printed text “CAROL / CABLE CO. / …”

(b)
White plastic backer inside thermometer's glass case has black text on front at center "JUMO-MSD.B.P. / Gebr. Haake, Berlin"; the back has black text "Made in Western Germany / 7.60 Zum Ultrathermostat hoch belastbar / 26990 / 4 14".

Chrome port plug has engraved text “AMPHENOL”.
Historical NotesBio Chem Instruments Corporation Thermoelectric model 100W circulating cryostat invented by Alan Litman in 1963. This constant temperature bath was one of several revolutionary inventions by Litman that solved a practical problem. When his wife, Doris Litman, told him that a fellow schoolteacher friend of hers was mugged when walking home, Litman invented chemical mace spray. This invention led to the creation of the company General Ordnance Equipment Corporation in East Liberty which made “non-lethal weaponry”. They were bought out by Smith & Wesson in 1967 and moved to Blawnox. While raising a pet alligator, Litman found he needed a tropical climate for his 14-inch pet, named Hambone, in order to study its behavior year-round. The need for a constant water temperature of 82 degrees Fahrenheit, air at 85 degrees Fahrenheit, and 96% humidity led to the invention of the cryostat. Litman saw the potential for his invention in laboratories around the world and started the Bio Chem Instruments Corporation in 1963. Hambone, who grew to eight feet, lived at the company headquarters.

Related person Alan Litman

Subjects