incubator

incubator, an insulated enclosure in which temperature, humidity, and other environmental conditions can be regulated at levels optimal for growth, hatching, or reproduction. There are three principal kinds of incubators: poultry incubators, infant incubators, and bacteriological incubators.

Poultry incubators are used to keep the fertilized eggs of chickens warm until they are ready to hatch. These are the oldest type of incubators; rooms heated by fires were used by the ancient Egyptians and Chinese to hatch chicken eggs, and later incubators used kerosene lamps to heat air or water in proximity to the eggs. Modern incubators are rooms heated by electricity. Large electric fans circulate the air to maintain uniform temperatures, and the eggs are turned automatically at least eight times daily. The larger commercial incubators may hold as many as 75,000 eggs at one time.

Infant incubators are used to provide a warm environment for babies born prematurely or for other infants who are unable to maintain a normal body temperature. The infant incubator is a relatively small, glass-walled box that may have portholes fitted with long rubber gloves through which nurses can handle and care for the infant. Most infant incubators are fitted with special devices that can control the concentration of oxygen inside the incubator; this is necessary because some infants need either greater or lesser amounts of oxygen owing to particular diseases they may have. Infant incubators also regulate the humidity inside the enclosure.

Bacteriological incubators provide a controlled environment in order to promote the growth of bacteria or other microorganisms in various culture media. They are insulated enclosures that are thermostatically regulated to maintain a constant temperature. Hot air is circulated over racks or shelves containing the Petri dishes, flasks, or other culture media. In medicine, such incubators are used to identify disease-causing microorganisms taken from patients. A sample of the patient’s blood, sputum, mucus, or other secretion is placed in a culture medium inside the incubator, and, after the microorganisms in the sample have multiplied, they can be identified with greater certainty. Bacteriological incubators are also used in microbiology and biochemistry, in the dairy and other food-processing industries, and in water and sewage treatment plants.