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3D3DOld mercury batteries.
These are 4V mercury batteries of a type that is no longer available. Somewhat alarmingly a quick web search turned up a memo from a pace maker manufacturer advising people that these batteries, used in their products, were no longer available and warning people not to use similar 4.5V batteries instead, as they would damage the pacemaker and cause it to operate outside of its proper "output voltage amplitude". Ouch. The memo further advises people to send their pacemakers in to be modified for use with 9V batteries instead. Although these are external, rather than implanted, pacemakers, one still has to wonder how exactly a person is meant to mail in the pacemaker that is keeping their heart beating. What are they supposed to do, beat on their chest for a week or two until the unit is returned? Honey!-thump-is-thump-the-thump-mail-thump-here-thump-yet-thump?
As you can see there is one small, bare cell along with the three batteries, each of which contains three of those cells. Technically "battery" means multiple cells put together. A typical AA, C, or D battery is not really a battery at all but rather a single cell. 9V batteries, on the other hand, are genuine batteries because they contain 6 individual cells inside.
Source: Alec Wright
Contributor: Theodore Gray
Acquired: 1 December, 2008
Text Updated: 2 December, 2008
Price: $3
Size: 2"
Purity: <20%
Mercury