Electroscope Built by Charlie Lauritsen (1950s)

This item might easily have been described in the Civil Defense or the Dosimeter sections of the Museum. Nevertheless, here it is. 

It is a very simple electroscope that was hand-built by the great Charlie Lauritsen, inventor of the direct reading pocket dosimeter. In the 1950s and 1960s there was considerable interest in developing inexpensive dosimeters for civil defense purposes. This example was built as a prototype and sent to the Office of Civil Defense (OCD). Whether this was done at their request or not, I don't know.

The scale reads from 0 to 10, but this might not have any real meaning since no units are indicated. It might indicate 0-10 R, or anything else for that matter.

One neat thing: Lauritsen built it using his daughter's watch case!

Size: ca. 2" x 3 1/2" x 7/8"

Donated by Jack Greene, a fine fellow.

Reference

Jack Greene, personal communication.