C. F. Palmer, Ltd was an independent manufacturer of scientific instruments, mostly in the field of

physiology Physiology (; ) is the scientific study of functions and mechanisms in a living system. As a sub-discipline of biology, physiology focuses on how organisms, organ systems, individual organs, cells, and biomolecules carry out the chemic ...

. Since 1987 it has been a subsidiary of Harvard Apparatus. The company was founded in

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

in 1891 by the

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national id ...

mechanical engineer Mechanical may refer to: Machine * Machine (mechanical), a system of mechanisms that shape the actuator input to achieve a specific application of output forces and movement * Mechanical calculator, a device used to perform the basic operations o ...

and bicycle maker Charles Fielding Palmer (1864-1938).Sphaera
website Museum of the History of Science (Oxford), retrieved 8 september 2014. It described itself as making "Research and Students' Apparatus for Physiology, Pharmacology, Psychology, Bacteriology, Phonetics, Botany, etc." It specialized, however, in equipment for the relatively young science of physiology.Sykes, A. H.; "A short history of C F Palmer (London) Ltd, physiological instrument makers." in: ''Journal of Medical Biography'', 1995, vol. 3, p. 225-231. Only the introduction page is (used and) publicly available, throug
jmb.com
Retrieved 8 september 2014. As a result of good workmanship and excellent contacts with scientists, the company became an important supplier of physiology research equipment in the British Empire until ca. 1950. Palmer manufactured instruments like the

kymograph A kymograph (from Greek κῦμα, swell or wave + γραφή, writing; also called a kymographion) is an analog device that draws a graphical representation of spatial position over time in which a spatial axis represents time. It basically cons ...

, invented by the

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physiologist

Carl Ludwig Carl Friedrich Wilhelm Ludwig (; 29 December 1816 – 23 April 1895) was a German physician and physiologist. His work as both a researcher and teacher had a major influence on the understanding, methods and apparatus used in almost all branche ...

in 1847, the Stromuhr (another design by Ludwig) for measuring the rate of bloodflow and a 'dotting machine', designed by William McDougall to measure and record levels of fatigue. From the 1930s onward, the company catalogue also mentioned equipment for research in

psychometrics Psychometrics is a field of study within psychology concerned with the theory and technique of measurement. Psychometrics generally refers to specialized fields within psychology and education devoted to testing, measurement, assessment, and ...

. At some time (its records were lost) the company became a " Ltd". In the 1960s and 1970s it stuck to mostly electromechanical devices in an increasingly electronic age and it lost some of its importance as an instrument maker. It was renamed PalmerBioscience and in 1987 it was acquired by Harvard Apparatus. Both the

Museum of the History of Science The History of Science Museum in Broad Street, Oxford, England, holds a leading collection of scientific instruments from Middle Ages to the 19th century. The museum building is also known as the Old Ashmolean Building to distinguish it from th ...

Oxford Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the Un ...

and the

Science Museum A science museum is a museum devoted primarily to science. Older science museums tended to concentrate on static displays of objects related to natural history, paleontology, geology, industry and industrial machinery, etc. Modern trends in ...

own instruments by Palmer.Electrical switch for physiological use, London, England, 1920-1940
Science Museum Group Collection, retrieved 2020-05-14.

References

Instrument-making corporations Defunct companies of the United Kingdom 1987 mergers and acquisitions {{UK-manufacturing-company-stub