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                                  Exhibit 99.1
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                                      NEWS





FOR RELEASE IMMEDIATELY
OCTOBER 27, 1994

                        Investor Relations Contact:  Lee Robbins
                                                     (913) 661-0444, x 512 
                                    Media Contact:   Greg Miller
                                                     (212) 880-5306
                                                     

            PURITAN-BENNETT BOARD APPROVES AMENDMENT TO RIGHTS PLAN
                    SO THAT RIGHTS DO NOT TRADE SEPARATELY


     Overland Park, KS - Puritan-Bennett Corporation (PBEN:NASDAQ) announced at
a meeting held on October 26, 1994, that the Board of Directors approved an
amendment to its Common Stock Purchase Rights Plan providing that separate
trading of Common Stock Purchase Rights shall not occur until such time as the
Board of Directors may, from time to time, determine.  If the Board had not
acted, the announcement of the tender offer by Thermo Electron to acquire all
of the outstanding shares of common stock of Puritan-Bennett for $24.50 per
share in cash would have resulted in the issuance of separately traded Rights
Certificates.  The Common Stock Purchase Rights are currently transferable only
with the associated common stock.  The Rights Plan was adopted by the Board in
May 1989.
     Burton A. Dole, Jr., Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer of
Puritan-Bennett said, "A meeting had been scheduled to consider Thermo
Electron's prior unsolicited proposal to acquire Puritan-Bennett for $24.00 per
share.  The Board had not yet considered Thermo Electron's tender offer but
will do so and make a recommendation to stockholders on or before November 7,
1994."
     Puritan-Bennett is a world leader in products related to respiration.
These products are used in multiple health care settings and on aircraft.