Scanning of viscosity in sputum.

A viscometer for measurement of sputum viscosity is described. The apparatus makes possible continuous measurement of sputum samples from 5 to 50 ml in volume. It has been calibrated against capillary and rotation viscometers with excellent correlation. The recordings obtained from sputum impressively display the heterogeneity of this material. They render the possibility of calculating a mean viscosity and of plotting the viscometer are given and the relationship between this instrument and other types of viscometers is discussed.