Syringes are pretty basic, standard items that are used daily in the medical industry. Their design is fairly simple and straightforward, and completely effective for their purpose. But did you know that this commonplace device has a rich and varied history dating back thousands of years?
It had quite the journey to get to where it is today. A syringe is a simple pump consisting of a plunger that fits tightly into a cylindrical tube. The plunger can be pulled and pushed along inside the tube, allowing the syringe to pull in or push out a liquid or gas through the opening at the end of the tube. That open end may also be fitted with a hypodermic needle , a nozzle, or tubing to help direct the flow into and out of the tube.
The first syringes were used in Roman times during the 1st century AD. But in the plunger syringe was invented, allowing doctors to inject solutions faster, and to give intravenous injections directly into a vein against blood pressure. It also allowed the taking of blood samples, which could then be subjected to diagnostic tests for an ever-increasing range of disorders and diseases. Rynd had been a wayward medical student, preferring to spend his time fox-hunting rather than walking the wards.
He subsequently became an important figure on the Irish medical scene, but continued to enjoy the social life, and his presence was said to have been much in demand at "fashionable dinner parties". Francis Rynd, the man who gave us the hypodermic injection, died in Dublin in Please update your payment details to keep enjoying your Irish Times subscription. The Irish doctor who invented the syringe Thu, Dec 5, , Most Viewed. Edward Jenner performed the first vaccination. The English physician began to develop vaccines by studying the link between smallpox and cowpox, a milder disease.
He injected one boy with cowpox and found that the boy became immune to smallpox. Jenner published his findings in Within three years, as many as , people in Britain had been vaccinated against smallpox. The microneedle is a painless alternative to the needle and syringe.
A chemical engineering professor from the Georgia Institute of Technology named Mark Prausnitz teamed up with electrical engineer Mark Allen to develop the prototype microneedle device. It is made up of silicon-based microscopic needles — each the width of a human hair — and looks something like the nicotine patch used to help people quit smoking. Its tiny, hollow needles are so small that any medication can be delivered through the skin without reaching the nerve cells that create pain.
Microelectronics within the device control the time and dosage of the medicine delivered. Another delivery device is the Hypospray. Developed by PowderJect Pharmaceuticals in Fremont, California, the technology uses pressurized helium to spray dry powdered medications on the skin for absorption. Actively scan device characteristics for identification. Let's try again… Enter the Irish doctor Francis Rynd in Sharp advancements Over the following century, the technology was refined and intravenous injections became commonplace — whether in the administering of pain relief, penicillin, insulin, immunisation and blood transfusions, needles became a staple of medicine.
Can we get rid of the ouch-factor? Maybe one day… So, is there a future beyond wincing every time the doc jabs you with a needle? Written by Nick Snelling Nick is an editor, writer, filmmaker and father of two young boys. Tags Lifestyle health Health History.
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