| Reference Number | MIMM/2018-5-9 |
| Title | RBC Pipette |
| Date | 1925-1975 |
| Creator Name | Assistent, Precision Glass Instruments Manufactuter, 1919- |
| Description | This is an RBC pipette composed of a clear glass pipette, a red rubber tube, and a red plastic mouthpiece. The RBC pipette’s glass body features a red bead in the bulb and a scale marked in red ink with 0.5, 1, and 101 on the stem. The manufacturer’s logo is present towards the end of the pipette, where it joins with the rubber tube, in light green ink.
The bulb is used for mixing blood and diluting fluid. The bead helps in mixing the blood with the diluting fluid, indicates if the bulb is dry or wet, and helps to identify the type of pipette: RBC (as in this case) or WBC (where the bead is white and the bulb is smaller). The RBC pipette is used by attaching the red rubber tube to the pipette.
The RBC pipette is used by attaching the red rubber tube to the pipette. The mouthpiece is operated to draw blood up to the 0.5 or 1 mark. Then, the diluting fluid is drawn up to the 101 mark. By covering the top with a finger and applying gentle twists, the bead inside the bulb moves and mixes the fluid and blood. Once done, a few drops of the resulting mix will be discarded, and it will be ready for microscopic sampling. |
| Extent | 1 item |
| Dimensions | 305mm x 5mm |
| Digital Collections | View online in our digital collections |
| Copyright | Free to use under the terms of the Creative Commons Licence Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0) |
| Credit Line | Royal College of Physicians of Ireland |
| Object Name | Pipette |
| Term | Clinical Laboratory Techniques -- Instrumentation |
| Haematologic Tests -- Instrumentation |
| Haematology |
| Weight and Measures -- Instrumentation |