Insulin and Diabetes Management -- Glucose (Sugar) Monitoring
Glucose (Sugar) Monitoring
Monitoring glucose (sugar) levels in urine or blood has always been part of the insulin users’ daily routine. The first home tests involved boiling urine over an alcohol burner and observing color change after adding a chemical reagent. Later kits replaced the alcohol and liquid chemicals with reactive tablets which required no exterior heat source. By the 1960s color changing testing strips were developed which reacted directly with urine.
Today, most testing is done using blood glucose, rather than urine glucose. Blood glucose testing was not possible outside of the laboratory until the 1970s when the first test strips and digital blood glucose monitoring devices became available for home use.
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| Examination of Urine for Sugar with the Urine Sugar Test Case, Sheftel, from Diabetes Mellitus by Eli Lilly and Company. 1942. |
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Page 1 of 4
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Clinitest Urine-Sugar Analysis Set
- Location
- Currently not on view
- date made
- ca 1942
- product introduced
- 1941
- maker
- Effervescent Products, INC
- ID Number
- 1981.0219.006
- catalog number
- 1981.0219.006
- accession number
- 1981.0219
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
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Lilly Urine Sugar Test Kit, Sheftel, Test Kit No. 6
- Location
- Currently not on view
- date made
- 1940s
- maker
- Eli Lilly and Company
- ID Number
- 1982.0498.22
- catalog number
- 1982.0498.22
- accession number
- 1982.0498
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
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Tes-Tape, Urine Sugar Analysis Paper, M-73
- Location
- Currently not on view
- date made
- 1963
- product expiration date
- 1964-02-01
- maker
- Eli Lilly and Company
- ID Number
- 1982.0531.058
- catalog number
- 1982.0531.058
- accession number
- 1982.0531
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
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Blood Glucose Test Strips, Visidex II
- Location
- Currently not on view
- date made
- ca 1984
- product expiration date
- 1986-02
- maker
- Ames
- Miles Laboratories, Inc.
- ID Number
- 1985.0178.01
- catalog number
- 1985.0178.01
- accession number
- 1985.0178
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
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Blood Glucose Meter, Accu-Chek bG Model 750
- Location
- Currently not on view
- date made
- 1985
- maker
- Boehringer Mannheim Diagnostics, Inc.
- ID Number
- 1986.0001.01
- accession number
- 1986.0001
- catalog number
- 1986.0001.01
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
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Blood Glucose Test Strips, ChemStrip bG
- Location
- Currently not on view
- date made
- ca 1985
- date(s) of previous ownership
- 1985-08-12
- product expiration date
- 1986-01-12
- maker
- Boehringer Mannheim Diagnostics, Inc.
- ID Number
- 1986.0001.02
- accession number
- 1986.0001
- catalog number
- 1986.0001.02
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
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Blood Glucose Meter, Glucometer II
- Description
- A glucometer measures blood glucose. The first example was made by the Ames division of Miles Laboratories and introduced to the market in 1981. It was developed by Anton Clemens, a German engi-neer who had been working for this firm since 1965. This example is a Model 5550. An inscription reads “AMES DIVISION MILES LABORATORIES INC., P.O. BOX 70, ELKHART, INDIANA 46515.”
- Location
- Currently not on view
- date made
- ca 1986
- maker
- Miles Laboratories
- ID Number
- 2001.0031.01
- catalog number
- 2001.0031.01
- accession number
- 2001.0031
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
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Lilly Urinary Test Kit No. 1, For Quantitative Determination of Sugar in Urine
- Location
- Currently not on view
- date made
- ca 1930
- maker
- Eli Lilly and Company
- ID Number
- MG.M-02886
- catalog number
- M-02886
- accession number
- 111796
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
-
Urinometer
- Description
- Urinometers are used to measure the specific gravity of urine, a measurement of its density. Specific gravity of urine fluctuates with the concentration of dissolved substances contained in the sample. Urine with low specific gravity can be a sign of diabetes or kidney problems.
- The urinometer has a graduated scale divided into four divisions. The upper most division is marked with the letter W: this is the level where the instrument rests in pure water. The next division is maked by the letter H: this is the level where the instrument rests when immersed in urine from a healthy person. The letter S indicates strong but not as healthy as H. Diabetes is indicated when the instrument rests in the lower most division.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- date made
- late19th century
- late19th century
- ID Number
- MG.M-07862
- catalog number
- M-07862
- accession number
- 223292
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
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Einhorn's Fermentation Saccharometer for the Estimation of Sugar in Urine
- Description (Brief)
- Fermentation saccharometers were used to estimate the amount of sugar in urine and diagnose diabetes. A small amount of yeast was mixed with 10cc of urine and then poured into the bulb of the saccharometer. The apparatus was then tilted slightly to allow the liquid to flow into the graduated tube and force the air out. If sugar was present in the urine, alcoholic fermentation would begin. The carbon dioxide gas created in the fermenting process would rise to the top of the closed tube and force the level of liquid down. The changed level of the liquid corresponded to the approximate quantity of sugar present. The percentage of sugar could be read off the graduated scale on the closed tube side of the apparatus.
- This device was developed by Dr. Max Einhorn, a gastroenterologist.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- date made
- ca 1900
- inventor
- Einhorn, Max
- maker
- Eimer and Amend
- ID Number
- MG.M-07865.01
- catalog number
- M-07865
- accession number
- 223292
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
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Ultra-Fine II Lancets
- Location
- Currently not on view
- date made
- ca 1997
- maker
- Becton, Dickinson and Company
- ID Number
- 2001.0113.2
- catalog number
- 2001.0113.2
- accession number
- 2001.0113
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
-
At Last Blood Glucose System
- Description
- Blood glucose monitoring kit with packaging, check strip, test strips, calibration chip, package insert, lancet holder, lancets (25), carrying case, meter cover, User's manual, Getting Started guide, self test log book, warranty card, extra bag of lancets, and three plastic strips of control solution.
- White and aqua-blue box with black, blue, and aqua-blue writing and pictures of glucose monitor and glucose monitor in use. Box has a clear plastic window on the front revealing the monitor inside. The blood glucose monitor is blue and gray plastic with black print and barcode. The carrying case is black and blue fabric with blue metal zipper and blue plastic closure. Both the second bag of sterile lancets and the three control solution strips do not appear to be part of the original blood glucose monitor kit.
- Printed on box: No More fingersticks! / Advanced all-in-one meter and sampling system. Freedom to choose the testing area that is most: Convenient, Comfortable, Pain-free
- Location
- Currently not on view
- date made
- about 1999
- maker
- Amira Medical, Inc.
- ID Number
- 2014.0140.02
- accession number
- 2014.0140
- catalog number
- 2014.0140.02
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
-
At Last II Blood Glucose System Prototype
- Description
- Blood glucose monitoring kit prototype with packaging mock-up. White box with internal dividers and printed prototype front panel attached. Box has handwritten "At Last II" (twice) and "Natalie Roc" on it. Box contains one prototype blood glucose monitor, carrying case, a sealed box of At Last test strips, and a sealed box of At Last lancets. Blood glucose monitor is blue and gray plastic with handwritten "10.165" written on it four times. Carrying case is blue fabric with blue metal zipper and blue plastic closure. At Last test strips box is sealed and contents expire July 31, 2003.
- Printed on box: No More Fingersticks.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- date made
- 2001
- maker
- Amira Medical, Inc.
- ID Number
- 2014.0140.03
- accession number
- 2014.0140
- catalog number
- 2014.0140.03
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
-
HypoGuard Supreme blood glucose testing strips (for use with the Hypocount Supreme or for visual reading)
- Location
- Currently not on view
- date made
- after 1991
- product expiration date
- 1994-01
- ID Number
- 2014.3066.07
- nonaccession number
- 2014.3066
- catalog number
- 2014.3066.07
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
-
First Choice Reagent Strips for blood glucose testing (for use with Glucometer 3 meter)
- Location
- Currently not on view
- date made
- 1989
- product expiration date
- 1996-02
- ID Number
- 2014.3066.01
- nonaccession number
- 2014.3066
- catalog number
- 2014.3066.01
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
-
First Choice Reagent Strips for blood glucose testing (for use with One Touch meters)
- Location
- Currently not on view
- date made
- 1993
- product expiration date
- 1996-02
- ID Number
- 2014.3066.03
- nonaccession number
- 2014.3066
- catalog number
- 2014.3066.03
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
-
First Choice Reagent strips for blood glucose testing (for use with Diascan meter)
- Location
- Currently not on view
- date made
- 1992
- product expiration date
- 1996-02
- ID Number
- 2014.3066.04
- nonaccession number
- 2014.3066
- catalog number
- 2014.3066.04
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
-
At Last II blood glucose monitor
- Location
- Currently not on view
- date made
- 1998
- ID Number
- 2014.3066.09
- nonaccession number
- 2014.3066
- catalog number
- 2014.3066.09
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
-
At Last II blood glucose monitor
- Location
- Currently not on view
- date made
- 1998
- ID Number
- 2014.3066.08
- nonaccession number
- 2014.3066
- catalog number
- 2014.3066.08
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
-
First Choice Reagent Strips for blood glucose testing (for use with Glucometer meters)
- Location
- Currently not on view
- date made
- 1989
- product expiration date
- 1996-04
- ID Number
- 2014.3066.02
- nonaccession number
- 2014.3066
- catalog number
- 2014.3066.02
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
