Hypodermic Needle

A hypodermic needle is a very thin, hollow tube with a sharp tip, used with a syringe to inject substances into the body or to withdraw fluids from it. The Irish physician Francis Rynd built the device in 1844 at the Meath Hospital in Dublin. The hypodermic needle allowed controlled, direct delivery of medicines that could not be taken orally or would otherwise be ineffective, fundamentally changing how physicians administer drugs such as opiates and, later, insulin, and enabling the rapid treatment of acute medical conditions.