Thermometer construction

Claim 1

In an elongated oral thermometer having a handle end and a measuring end, the measuring end including a heat conducting carrier in which a plurality of cavities are defined with solid solutions of the same two organic compounds in various composition ratios deposited in the cavities, the solid solutions having an essentially linear melting point-tocomposition relationship over the composition range represented by the plurality of solutions, an indicator associated with each cavity to visually signal the melting of solid solution in that cavity, the cavities and associated indicators being spaced in a series of rows parallel to the longitudinal axis of the thermometer in a grid arrangement with each indicator corresponding to a point on the grid, and such temperature indicia associated with the indicators that each row indicates a different temperature range and all points in a row denote a regular progression of like temperature increments within that range, the improvement comprising the disposition of the highest temperature indicia for any given row being towards the measuring end of the thermometer and the lowest temperature indicia for the same row towards the handle end of the thermometer the various composition ratios for the solid solutions being such that the difference in the melting points of solid solutions in any two adjacent cavities in the same row is greater than the temperature increment shown by the indicia associated with those two adjacent cavities.