See: http://www.slate.com/id/2258112/
NIST no longer offers calibration services for mercury thermometers. They say that other types are as reliable and accurate. I think the main reason they phased them out is because mercury is toxic. My doctor still has a mercury blood pressure gauge (sphygmomanometer) and I must admit, I don't fully trust the electronic ones. Interesting quote: "National Institute of Standards and Technology says that temperature is the second-most measured quantity on earth (after time), and most chemical process in most industries require scientists to monitor temperatures closely." Tell THAT to the skeptics who claim that people don't know how to measure temperatures! - Jed
