S. Weir Mitchell, a prominent Philadelphia physician interested in anthropometry, reported in 1859 that he had used a small dry gas meter as a spirometer to measure lung capacity. His instrument was made by Code, Hopper & Co., cost no more than $15, and worked quite well. Joseph Henry, the physicist who served as the first Secretary of the Smithsonian, was friendly with Mitchell, interested in anthropometry, and probably acquired this instrument for the Institution. The "Code, Hopper and Co., Manufacturers, Philadelphia" inscription refers to the principal manufacturer of gas meters in Philadelphia in the late 1850s.
Ref: Edwin T. Freedley, Philadelphia and Its Manufactures (Philadelphia, 1858), p. 323.
“Improved Spirometer,” American Journal of the Medical Sciences (1859): 378-379.
“Proceedings of the Franklin Institute,” Journal of the Franklin Institute 38 (1859): 143.
Our collection database is a work in progress. We may update this record based on further research and review. Learn more about our approach to sharing our collection online.
If you would like to know how you can use content on this page, see the Smithsonian's Terms of Use. If you need to request an image for publication or other use, please visit Rights and Reproductions.