Early use and experimentation The ancient
Greeks and
Romans knew injection as a method of medicinal delivery from observations of snakebites and poisoned weapons. There are also references to "anointing" and "inunction" in the
Old Testament as well as the works of
Homer, but injection as a legitimate medical tool was not truly explored until the 17th century.
Christopher Wren performed the earliest confirmed experiments with crude hypodermic needles, performing intravenous injection into dogs in 1656.
19th-century development The 19th century saw the development of medicines that were effective in small doses, such as opiates and strychnine. This spurred a renewed interest in direct, controlled application of medicine. "Some controversy surrounds the question of priority in hypodermic medication." Irish physician
Francis Rynd is generally credited with the first successful injection in 1844, in the
Meath Hospital in
Dublin,
Ireland.
Alexander Wood's main contribution was the all-glass syringe in 1851, which allowed the user to estimate dosage based on the levels of liquid observed through the glass. Wood used hypodermic needles and syringes primarily for the application of localized, subcutaneous injection (localized anesthesia) and therefore was not as interested in precise dosages.
Modern improvements Dr. Francis Rynd used the first "Hollow Needle" as a hypodermic syringe on Ms. Margaret Cox in Ireland on June 3rd, 1844. Dr. Wood can be largely credited with the popularization and acceptance of injection as a medical technique, as well as the widespread use and acceptance of the hypodermic needle. The basic technology of the hypodermic needle has stayed largely unchanged since the 19th century, but as the years progressed and medical and chemical knowledge improved, small refinements have been made to increase safety and efficacy, with needles being designed and tailored for very particular uses. Hypodermic needles remain essential to large volume administration or exchange in settings of
trauma or
dialysis. The trend of needle specification for use began in the 1920s, particularly for the administration of insulin to
diabetics. The onset of World War II spurred the early development of partially disposable syringes for the administration of
morphine and
penicillin on the battlefield. Development of the
fully disposable hypodermic needle was spurred on in the 1950s for several reasons. The
Korean War created blood shortages and in response disposable, sterile syringes were developed for collecting blood. The widespread
immunization against polio during the period required the development of a fully disposable syringe system. This period also marked a shift in interest from needle specifications to general sterility and safety. ==Manufacture==