HYPODERMIC NEEDLE

Fife-born doctor Alexander Wood was the pioneer of the first true hypodermic syringe and was the first to inject morphine into a patient using this invention. He was said to have been inspired by watching a bee sting his own arm. He was also one of the most outspoken doctors in the country, promoting contemporary medicine and refuting claims made by more unorthodox forms of treatment, such as homeopathy.

After moving to Edinburgh’s New Town in 1821 as a youngster, Wood matriculated at Edinburgh University in 1832 where he studied arts and medicine. He later established his own private practice in the New Town and was inspired by James Young Simpson’s experiments on anaesthesia and his results in relieving localised pain.

In 1853, Wood used a syringe to treat a case of neuralgia by injecting morphine, referring to his invention as ‘subcutaneous’ rather than ‘hypodermic’ (a term later introduced by 19th-century physician Charles Hunter). Prior to his use of a hollow needle and syringe, the instruments used had been far larger and cruder, and were attached to tubing.

Clockwise from top: Alexander Wood; the original syringe used by Alexander Wood courtesy of Surgeons Hall; James Young Simpson inspired Wood with his anaesthesia experiments.