The globe thermometer was designed by H. M. Vernon as a simple instrument that will give a more reliable measure of the comfort of a room than the ordinary wall thermometer. When the room is heated by some system of low-temperature radiation, such as hot-water pipes, and when the amount of air movement is not excessive, the globe thermometer is probably as good as any single simple instrument can be. But it has never come into general use because there are conditions under which its indications may be very misleading to the layman.