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44 GU I D E to Y E L L OW S P R I NG S | 2O22 – 2O23 der] telling Radiometer, ‘I don’t want to hold onto this machine and have complete control of it. It could be really important for the world.’ He thought there should be more than just one person inventing and perfecting it,” Brunsman said. “The whole philosophy undergirding the develop- ment of the machine was that by working together, the engineers could collectively get it to run faster and more effectively.” Brunsman said that Trolan - der didn’t believe in patenting everything he could, only the wholly unique devices — an attitude quite unusual for a CEO of a scientific instrument company. “He did patent [Newman’s] salinization membrane device, but that’s it,” Brunsman said. “That was unique enough for Hardy. But there isn’t another patent on the glucose machine. And I could go through all of the components and come up with at least 10 other parts that very easily could have been patented.” This open-ended approach to machine-making soon paid off again for YSI. Not long after 23A hit the market, Leland Clark again approached Brunsman and the other devel- opers at YSI and pointed out that their methods for measur- ing glucose could be easily retooled to measure lactic acid. “You know — the stuff your body produces when you run out of oxygen,” explained Brunsman. “Lactic acid is a metabolic product. When you run out of it, then you know you’re not getting your blood as oxidized as it should be.” It turned out, Clark was right. In no time at all, using the same technology — from the membrane-to-electrode interaction, the interference compensation, all the way to the classic exterior blue box — YSI was able to produce a lactic acid measurement instrument. And some big- time consumers took notice. “Leading up to the 1984 Olympics, we got pressed by the U.S. Olympic team who wanted to measure their ath- letes’ lactic acid levels,” said Brunsman. “YSI had the only instrument that’d do it. So we did it, and they integrated the lactic acid instrument we developed into their training regimens.” Whether it actually helped them is another story, Brunsman said. “Just because you can mea- sure something in your body, doesn’t necessarily mean you should train to that number.” But years later, before the 1988 Olympics, the Chinese Olympic team “bought up as many of these instruments as they could,” Brunsman said. “And sure enough, the Chinese swimming team really came into their own that year. I’d bet anything that it was because of our lactic acid instruments.” Over the years, YSI would go on to retool 23A to mea- sure a wide array of biochemi- cals beyond glucose and lactic acid. Through minor adap - tive technologies, derivative machines of 23A could mea- sure ammonium, cholesterol, ethanol, galactose, glutamine, glutamate, glycerol, lactose, methanol, potassium, starch, sucrose, xylose and more. “It was always the same box, just a different membrane churning out different num - bers. Same blood sampling methods,” said Brunsman. “23A really changed every- thing.” “And if you look at how people measure glucose today, they’re typically using some modification of the elec - trode system that Leland Clark had initially developed and that we furthered,” Brunsman said. “Even the stick ones — it’s using an electrode and glucose oxidase to measure the glucose in your blood. 233 Xenia Ave. • www.emporiumwines.com • 937-767-7077 • BREAKFAST & SOUPS FROM SCRATCH • FRESH SANDWICHES & BAKERY TREATS • DAILY VEGAN OPTIONS • EQUAL EXCHANGE & FAIR TRADE ORGANIC COFFEES & ESPRESSO DRINKS • HOMEMADE BREADS & MUFFINS DAILY WITH GLUTEN FREE CHOICES A NEWWAY TO EXPLORE WINE: VINO CSA EDITIONS Think “community supported agriculture,” but wine. HOW IT WORKS: Each month, we hand pick, describe, and package two small production, organic wines for you. Subscribers get them before they hit the shelf! Choose a subscription rate: $ 35 | $ 55 | $ 85 per month OPEN M–TH: 7–7 SA: 8–7, SU: 8–6 AREA’S LARGEST SELECTION OF NATURAL WINES — ORGANIC & SUSTAINABLE E mporium W ines u nderdog c afé ! Cheryl B.Levine, Psy.D. • Kathleen Galarza, Ph.D. • John Beer, LISW Mike LeMaster, LPCC • Eileen Potter, LPCC, IMFT • Ken Drude, Ph.D. 566 E. Dayton-Yellow Springs Rd., Fairborn The Lotus Center, 4949 Urbana Rd., Springfield 937-390-3800 www.positiveperspectivescounseling.com Eight local artists producing elegant, functional, contemporary pottery. Located in Kings Yard, Yellow Springs, OH 937-767-1666 • www.YellowSpringsPottery.com