When did they start using plastic syringes?
The Hypodermic Syringe: Greatest Medical Device of All Time?
Manufactured in the billions every year, the hypodermic syringe may be the greatest medical device ever invented.
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Hypodermic syringes, along with the myriad of substances they deliver, have likely saved more lives and alleviated more suffering than any other piece of medical technology.
Early Experiments in Intravenous Injection
The earliest confirmed experiments in intravenous injection were performed by Christopher Wren in 1656. Wren, curious if intravenous injection would be as effective as oral administration, used a goose quill for the needle and an animal bladder for the syringe to administer opium to dogs.
Development of the Hollow Metal Needle
The hollow metal needle was invented in 1844 by Irish physician Francis Rynd.
The Birth of Hypodermic Syringes
The first devices recognizable as hypodermic syringes were independently invented almost simultaneously in 1853 by Scottish physician Alexander Wood and French surgeon Charles Gabriel Pravaz. These were first used to inject morphine as a painkiller.
Milestones in Hypodermic Syringe History
In 1897, Maxwell W. Becton and Fairleigh S. Dickinson formed a medical device import company named Becton, Dickinson and Co. (BD). By 1906, BD began manufacturing hypodermic needles, syringes, and thermometers in the United States.
The next milestone took place in 1925 when BD introduced its Yale Luer-Lok Syringe. Designed and patented by Dickinson, it provided a simple, secure method of attaching and removing a needle from a syringe. Luer-lock connectors are now standard in the United States.
The first disposable syringes, still made of glass, were patented by Arthur E. Smith. BD first mass-produced these devices in 1954 for Dr. Jonas Salk's polio vaccination program.
Introduction of Plastic Disposable Syringes
The world's first plastic disposable hypodermic syringe was developed by Roehr Products (Waterbury, CT) in 1955. Named the Monoject, they sold for 5 cents each, though doctors initially preferred sterilizing and reusing glass syringes. New Zealand pharmacist Colin Albert Murdoch further refined the disposable plastic syringe in 1956, a design still in use today. BD's 1961 Plastipak brought this disposable plastic device into wide use.
Modern-Day Disposable Syringes
Despite improved materials and refined designs, today's disposable hypodermic syringes are nearly indistinguishable from those of over 50 years ago.
Though developments like microneedles and transdermal patches may impact their use for small quantities of injectables, disposable plastic hypodermic syringes continue to save and improve countless lives.
Stephen Levy is a contributor to Qmed and MPMN.
A History of Syringes and Needles
Origins and Early Uses
Syringes existed long before hypodermic needles. In Greek and Roman literature, hollow reeds were used in rituals and as musical instruments. Simple piston syringes for medical use were described by Galen (129-200 CE), while Ammar bin Ali al-Mawsili used glass tubes for suction in cataract extraction around 900 CE. In 1650, Pascal's hydraulic experiments led to the invention of the first modern syringe for infusing medicines.
Intravenous injection experimentation began in 1656 with Christopher Wren's use of goose quill cannulae to inject dogs with poppy sap. However, due to fatal results from improper dosages and lack of sterilization, injections were not widely used for 200 years.
Development of the Hypodermic Needle
The first hypodermic needle was likely made by Francis Rynd in Dublin in 1844, using annealed steel to create a tube. French surgeon Charles Pravaz and Scottish physician Alexander Wood independently developed functional hypodermic syringes in 1853. Since then, the basic design has remained largely unchanged, with plastic materials allowing for the widespread adoption of disposable syringes since the mid-1950s.
Future of Syringes and Needles
Looking ahead, the parenteral administration of medicines and vaccines will likely see increased use of direct percutaneous absorption, especially for children. Micro-silicon-based needles that don't trigger pain nerves are being developed. However, these systems cannot deliver intravenous or bolus injections, ensuring the continued relevance of hypodermic needles for a variety of medical procedures.
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Needle and Syringe Designs Over Time
Various needle and syringe designs have been used throughout history. Figure 1 shows single-use needles from the 1950s, currently used needles with color-coded hubs, and 1930s screw-on double-ended needles by Boots & Co Ltd for cartridge loading syringes.
The range of needles is extensive, each varying in shape, taper, locking devices, gauge, and length according to their purpose. Figures 2-4 illustrate various types of needles, including infusion needles, pneumothorax needles, and aspiration needles.
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Some needles became blunt with multiple uses, causing infections. Sharpening needles was sometimes solved by including a suitably shaped carborundum stone in the injection set. Institutions used needle sharpening devices for rapid and consistent sharpening.
Syringes and Injection Sets
Figure 9 shows the Mussel Shell, a pocket-sized syringe set patented by Burroughs Welcome around 1910. It was designed for use with standardised soluble preparation tablets. Later, sterile injections in sealed glass ampoules became available. The oldest syringe (c1875) in the collection has a metal barrel, glass tube, waxed linen piston, and screw-fitting needle.
Figure 10 shows an anaesthetic syringe set commonly used by GPs and specialists. Figure 15 shows a syringe designed to inject melted paraffin wax for anatomical demonstrations.
Most modern syringes and intravenous sets are made from plastic with stainless steel needles, sterilized using gamma irradiation. Some modern pharmaceuticals are distributed in single-dose syringes, reducing wastage.
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