content: SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
  
                               Washington, D.C. 20549
  
                   -------------------------------------------
  
  
                                      FORM 8-K
  
  
                                   CURRENT REPORT
  
                         Pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of
                         the Securities Exchange Act of 1934
  
  
  
                                   Date of Report
                        (Date of earliest event reported):
  
                                  December 10, 1998
  
                     ----------------------------------------
  
  
                              THERMEDICS DETECTION INC.
               (Exact name of Registrant as specified in its charter)
  
  
  Massachusetts                   1-12745                   04-3106698
  (State or other               (Commission              (I.R.S. Employer
  jurisdiction of               File Number)             Identification Number) 
  incorporation or
  organization)
  
  
  220 Mill Road
  Chelmsford, Massachusetts                                 01824-4178
  (Address of principal executive offices)                 (Zip Code)
  
  
                                  (978) 251-2000
                           (Registrant's telephone number
                                including area code)
  
  
  
  <PAGE>
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
        This Form 8-K contains forward-looking statements that involve a number of
  risks and  uncertainties.  Important  factors that could cause actual results to
  differ  materially from those indicated by such  forward-looking  statements are
  set  forth  under  the  heading  "Forward-looking  Statements"  included  in the
  Registrant's  Current  Report on Form 8-K/A  relating  to events of May 6, 1998,
  filed with the  Securities  and  Exchange  Commission  on July 20,  1998.  These
  include  risks and  uncertainties  relating to: the market's  acceptance  of new
  products, the Registrant's ongoing product development efforts required by rapid
  technological  change,  the  dependence  of the  security-instrument  market  on
  government  regulation and the airline  industry,  the  significance  of certain
  customers  to  the  Registrant,   competition,   potential  product   liability,
  international  operations,   proprietary  technology  rights,  the  Registrant's
  acquisition strategy,  potential fluctuations in quarterly performance,  and the
  potential impact of the year 2000 on processing date-sensitive information.
  
  Item 5.     Other Events
  
        On December 10, 1998, Thermo Electron Corporation ("Thermo Electron"), the
  Registrant's  ultimate parent  corporation,  issued a press release regarding an
  update to the proposed corporate  reorganization,  announced on August 12, 1998,
  involving certain of Thermo Electron's subsidiaries, including the Registrant.
  
        The press  release  stated,  among  other  things,  that  Thermedics  Inc.
  ("Thermedics"), the Registrant's parent corporation, will transfer its shares of
  the Registrant to Thermo  Electron as part of an exchange for Thermo  Electron's
  wholly owned biomedical group, but that such shares will not then be transferred
  by Thermo Electron to Thermo  Instrument  Systems Inc., as had been announced on
  August 12. The press  release  also  stated  that the  Registrant  will be taken
  private and become a wholly owned subsidiary of Thermo  Electron,  as previously
  announced.  Shareholders  of the  Registrant  will  receive cash in exchange for
  their shares of the Registrant's common stock.
  
        The completion of the  transactions  described above as they relate to the
  Registrant is subject to numerous  conditions,  including the  establishment  of
  prices and  exchange  ratios,  confirmation  of  anticipated  tax  consequences,
  approval  by the  directors  of each of the  Registrant,  Thermedics  and Thermo
  Electron (including the independent directors of the Registrant and Thermedics),
  negotiation and execution of definitive agreements,  clearance by the Securities
  and  Exchange  Commission  of any  necessary  documents in  connection  with the
  proposed  transactions,  and fairness opinions from investment  banking firms on
  certain financial aspects of the transactions.
  
  
  Item 7.     Financial Statements, Pro Forma Financial Information and Exhibits
  
        (a)    Financial Statements of Business Acquired: not
              applicable.
  
        (b)   Pro Forma Financial Information: not applicable.
  
        (c)   Exhibits: not applicable.
  
  
  
  
  <PAGE>
  
  
  
  
                                      SIGNATURE
  
  
  
        Pursuant to the  requirements of the Securities  Exchange Act of 1934, the
  Registrant  has duly  caused  this  report  to be  signed  on its  behalf by the
  undersigned, thereunto duly authorized, on this 10th day of December, 1998.
  
  
                                      THERMEDICS DETECTION INC.
  
  
                                      By:/s/   Kenneth J. Apicerno
                                               Kenneth J. Apicerno
                                               Treasurer
metadata_documents: [{"type": "8-K", "sequence": "1", "description": "FORM 8-K", "secsgml_size_bytes": 4978}]
metadata_filer: {"company-data": {"conformed-name": "THERMEDICS DETECTION INC", "cik": "0001012555", "assigned-sic": "3823", "irs-number": "043106698", "state-of-incorporation": "MA", "fiscal-year-end": "1231"}, "filing-values": {"form-type": "8-K", "act": "34", "file-number": "001-12745", "film-number": "98767191"}, "business-address": {"street1": "220 MILL RD", "city": "CHELMSFORD", "state": "MA", "zip": "01824", "phone": "5082512000"}, "mail-address": {"street1": "220 MILL ROAD", "city": "CHELMSFORD", "state": "MA", "zip": "01824-4178"}}
text: SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
  
                               Washington, D.C. 20549
  
                   -------------------------------------------
  
                                      FORM 8-K
  
                                   CURRENT REPORT
  
                         Pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of
                         the Securities Exchange Act of 1934
  
                                   Date of Report
                        (Date of earliest event reported):
  
                                  December 10, 1998
  
                     ----------------------------------------
  
                              THERMEDICS DETECTION INC.
               (Exact name of Registrant as specified in its charter)
  
  Massachusetts                   1-12745                   04-3106698
  (State or other               (Commission              (I.R.S. Employer
  jurisdiction of               File Number)             Identification Number) 
  incorporation or
  organization)
  
  220 Mill Road
  Chelmsford, Massachusetts                                 01824-4178
  (Address of principal executive offices)                 (Zip Code)
  
                                  (978) 251-2000
                           (Registrant's telephone number
                                including area code)
  This Form 8-K contains forward-looking statements that involve a number of
  risks and  uncertainties.  Important  factors that could cause actual results to
  differ  materially from those indicated by such  forward-looking  statements are
  set  forth  under  the  heading  "Forward-looking  Statements"  included  in the
  Registrant's  Current  Report on Form 8-K/A  relating  to events of May 6, 1998,
  filed with the  Securities  and  Exchange  Commission  on July 20,  1998.  These
  include  risks and  uncertainties  relating to: the market's  acceptance  of new
  products, the Registrant's ongoing product development efforts required by rapid
  technological  change,  the  dependence  of the  security-instrument  market  on
  government  regulation and the airline  industry,  the  significance  of certain
  customers  to  the  Registrant,   competition,   potential  product   liability,
  international  operations,   proprietary  technology  rights,  the  Registrant's
  acquisition strategy,  potential fluctuations in quarterly performance,  and the
  potential impact of the year 2000 on processing date-sensitive information.
  
  Item 5.     Other Events
  
        On December 10, 1998, Thermo Electron Corporation ("Thermo Electron"), the
  Registrant's  ultimate parent  corporation,  issued a press release regarding an
  update to the proposed corporate  reorganization,  announced on August 12, 1998,
  involving certain of Thermo Electron's subsidiaries, including the Registrant.
  
        The press  release  stated,  among  other  things,  that  Thermedics  Inc.
  ("Thermedics"), the Registrant's parent corporation, will transfer its shares of
  the Registrant to Thermo  Electron as part of an exchange for Thermo  Electron's
  wholly owned biomedical group, but that such shares will not then be transferred
  by Thermo Electron to Thermo  Instrument  Systems Inc., as had been announced on
  August 12. The press  release  also  stated  that the  Registrant  will be taken
  private and become a wholly owned subsidiary of Thermo  Electron,  as previously
  announced.  Shareholders  of the  Registrant  will  receive cash in exchange for
  their shares of the Registrant's common stock.
  
        The completion of the  transactions  described above as they relate to the
  Registrant is subject to numerous  conditions,  including the  establishment  of
  prices and  exchange  ratios,  confirmation  of  anticipated  tax  consequences,
  approval  by the  directors  of each of the  Registrant,  Thermedics  and Thermo
  Electron (including the independent directors of the Registrant and Thermedics),
  negotiation and execution of definitive agreements,  clearance by the Securities
  and  Exchange  Commission  of any  necessary  documents in  connection  with the
  proposed  transactions,  and fairness opinions from investment  banking firms on
  certain financial aspects of the transactions.
  
  Item 7.     Financial Statements, Pro Forma Financial Information and Exhibits
  
        (a)    Financial Statements of Business Acquired: not
              applicable.
  
        (b)   Pro Forma Financial Information: not applicable.
  
        (c)   Exhibits: not applicable.
  SIGNATURE
  
        Pursuant to the  requirements of the Securities  Exchange Act of 1934, the
  Registrant  has duly  caused  this  report  to be  signed  on its  behalf by the
  undersigned, thereunto duly authorized, on this 10th day of December, 1998.
  
                                      THERMEDICS DETECTION INC.
  
                                      By:/s/   Kenneth J. Apicerno
                                               Kenneth J. Apicerno
                                               Treasurer