Why is there a need to shake the clinical thermometer prior to each use?
Answer:
These were the old fashion maximum thermometers, the mercury would rise and when removed, a drop would be left behind to mark the maximum temperature obtained.
The thermometer has to be shaken before reuse to force the drop back down to the reservoir ready for the next maximum reading.
A linical thermometer is designed to keep the last reading until shaken down. So if your temperature is lower than the previous reading, you can't measure it unless the mercury is shaken down first.
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