Louis Firth Nafis
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Louis Firth Nafis | |
|---|---|
| Born | November 1, 1884 |
| Died | February 26, 1955 (aged 70) |
| Occupation(s) | Inventor and entrepreneur |
| Known for | First manufacturer of the standard Babcock milk test bottle |
| Spouse | Mabel Siller Nasif |
Louis Firth Nafis was an American inventor and entrepreneur, best known as the first manufacturer of the standard Babcock milk test bottle. He was born in Jersey City, New Jersey on November 1, 1884, and died on February 26, 1955, in Evanston, Illinois.[1]
Nafis started his career selling thermometers. In 1908, he was listed as secretary of the Kimble Glass Company in Chicago.[2] Friends in the butter industry led him to the supplying of accurate test bottles and pipettes for testing the quality of dairy products. He consulted with professors Stephen M. Babcock (1843–1931) and Edward Holyoke Farrington (1860–1934) at the University of Wisconsin, who had been commissioned to develop a practical standard test for measuring the fat content of milk.[3][4] Babcock had designed a special flask, now known as a Babcock bottle, for that purpose.[1]
In the wake of that visit, Louis founded the company Louis F. Nafis, Inc. in Chicago to make scientific glassware,[5] and was the first company to market Babcock's standard flask. In 1932 he sold the company to Kimble Glass, which was later taken over by Owens-Illinois Glass which became part of DWK Life Sciences.[1]
By 1934–1937, his former company still retained its identity as a division of Kimble (with address 23 North Desplaines St.[6]), and marketed reagents for milk testing, as well as glassware.[7] By 1943, the Babcock bottles from Kimble still had "K/Nafis" etched on their bodies.[8]
He was an active member of the American Dairy Science Association (ADSA).