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):
  
                                    May 24, 1999
  
                      ----------------------------------------
  
  
                                   THERMEDICS INC.
               (Exact name of Registrant as specified in its charter)
  
  
  Massachusetts                   1-9567                    04-2788806
  (State or other               (Commission              (I.R.S. Employer
  jurisdiction of               File Number)             Identification Number)
  incorporation or
  organization)
  
  
  470 Wildwood Street, P.O. Box 2999
  Woburn, Massachusetts                                       01888
  (Address of principal executive offices)                 (Zip Code)
  
  
                                   (781) 622-1000
                           (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"  in Exhibit 13 to the
  Registrant's  Annual  Report on Form 10-K for the year  ended  January  2, 1999.
  These include risks and  uncertainties  relating to:  government  regulation and
  industry standards,  competition and technological change, intellectual property
  rights,  reimbursement  by insurers for medical  procedures,  medical  community
  acceptance of medical devices, availability of materials and components, product
  liability,  international  operations,  the Registrant's spinout and acquisition
  strategies,   and  the   potential   impact  of  the  year  2000  on  processing
  date-sensitive information.
  
  Item 5.     Other Events
  
        On May 24, 1999, the Registrant  issued a press release  regarding certain
  pretax charges that will be taken by the Registrant.
  
       The press release  stated that the  Registrant  will record pretax  charges
  totaling approximately $30 million primarily in its second fiscal quarter, which
  ends  July  3,  1999.  These  charges  will  be  incurred  as a  result  of  the
  Registrant's  decision to sell its power electronics and test equipment business
  to an unrelated  third party. If the Registrant has not sold this business prior
  to the consummation of the previously announced proposed transaction with Thermo
  Electron Corporation  ("Thermo Electron"),  then as part of any such transaction
  the business would be  transferred  to Thermo  Electron as part of that proposed
  transaction  and would  subsequently  be sold by Thermo Electron to an unrelated
  third party.
  
  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 25th day of May, 1999.
  
  
  
                                          THERMEDICS INC.
  
  
                                          By:  /s/ Theo Melas-Kyriazi
                                               Theo Melas-Kyriazi
                                               Chief Financial Officer
metadata_documents: [{"type": "8-K", "sequence": "1", "description": "FORM 8-K", "secsgml_size_bytes": 3933}]
metadata_filer: {"company-data": {"conformed-name": "THERMEDICS INC", "cik": "0000721356", "assigned-sic": "3590", "irs-number": "042788806", "state-of-incorporation": "DE", "fiscal-year-end": "0102"}, "filing-values": {"form-type": "8-K", "act": "34", "file-number": "001-09567", "film-number": "99634245"}, "business-address": {"street1": "470 WILDWOOD ST", "street2": "P O BOX 2697", "city": "WOBURN", "state": "MA", "zip": "01888-1799", "phone": "7819383786"}, "mail-address": {"street1": "81 WYMAN STREET", "street2": "P.O. BOX 9046", "city": "WALTHAM", "state": "MA", "zip": "02254"}}
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):
  
                                    May 24, 1999
  
                      ----------------------------------------
  
                                   THERMEDICS INC.
               (Exact name of Registrant as specified in its charter)
  
  Massachusetts                   1-9567                    04-2788806
  (State or other               (Commission              (I.R.S. Employer
  jurisdiction of               File Number)             Identification Number)
  incorporation or
  organization)
  
  470 Wildwood Street, P.O. Box 2999
  Woburn, Massachusetts                                       01888
  (Address of principal executive offices)                 (Zip Code)
  
                                   (781) 622-1000
                           (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"  in Exhibit 13 to the
  Registrant's  Annual  Report on Form 10-K for the year  ended  January  2, 1999.
  These include risks and  uncertainties  relating to:  government  regulation and
  industry standards,  competition and technological change, intellectual property
  rights,  reimbursement  by insurers for medical  procedures,  medical  community
  acceptance of medical devices, availability of materials and components, product
  liability,  international  operations,  the Registrant's spinout and acquisition
  strategies,   and  the   potential   impact  of  the  year  2000  on  processing
  date-sensitive information.
  
  Item 5.     Other Events
  
        On May 24, 1999, the Registrant  issued a press release  regarding certain
  pretax charges that will be taken by the Registrant.
  
       The press release  stated that the  Registrant  will record pretax  charges
  totaling approximately $30 million primarily in its second fiscal quarter, which
  ends  July  3,  1999.  These  charges  will  be  incurred  as a  result  of  the
  Registrant's  decision to sell its power electronics and test equipment business
  to an unrelated  third party. If the Registrant has not sold this business prior
  to the consummation of the previously announced proposed transaction with Thermo
  Electron Corporation  ("Thermo Electron"),  then as part of any such transaction
  the business would be  transferred  to Thermo  Electron as part of that proposed
  transaction  and would  subsequently  be sold by Thermo Electron to an unrelated
  third party.
  
  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 25th day of May, 1999.
  
                                          THERMEDICS INC.
  
                                          By:  /s/ Theo Melas-Kyriazi
                                               Theo Melas-Kyriazi
                                               Chief Financial Officer