Difficult choices as death nears. As the changes described in this article develop in the final days or hours of a progressive terminal illness, difficult choices may arise. There may be questions about whether to provide food and fluids, receive blood transfusions, or treat infections.
The use of mercury in thermometers dates back hundreds of years. It was widely used because it reliably expands and contracts with changes in temperatures. It is highly poisonous, however, and can enter the body through the respiratory or digestive tracts, or directly through the skin.
A long and slender bulb exposes as much surface area of the mercury as possible. Having more surface area exposed helps obtain an accurate temperature quickly. (2) The other (stem) end of the oral thermometer is colored blue. Color-coding thermometers lets you tell an oral thermometer from a rectal thermometer quickly.