The Syrette is a device for injecting liquid through a needle. It is similar to a syringe

Syringe

A syringe is a simple pump consisting of a plunger that fits tightly in a tube. The plunger can be pulled and pushed along inside a cylindrical tube , allowing the syringe to take in and expel a liquid or gas through an orifice at the open end of the tube...

 except that it has a closed flexible tube (like that used for toothpaste) instead of a rigid tube and piston. It was developed by Squibb, now the Bristol-Myers Squibb Company.

The morphine

Morphine

Morphine is a potent opiate analgesic medication and is considered to be the prototypical opioid. It was first isolated in 1804 by Friedrich Sertürner, first distributed by same in 1817, and first commercially sold by Merck in 1827, which at the time was a single small chemists' shop. It was more...

 syrette used in World War II

World War II

World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...

 had a wire loop pin with a guard in the end of the hollow needle that was used to break a seal where the needle was attached to the tube. It was similar to a Superglue tube. After breaking the seal the wire loop pin was removed and the hollow needle was inserted under the skin at a shallow angle and the tube flattened between the thumb and fingers. (See subcutaneous injection

Subcutaneous injection

A subcutaneous injection is administered as a bolus into the subcutis, the layer of skin directly below the dermis and epidermis, collectively referred to as the...

.) After injection the used tube was pinned to the receiving soldier's collar to inform others of the dose administered.

The US Military also distributed atropine

Atropine

Atropine is a naturally occurring tropane alkaloid extracted from deadly nightshade , Jimson weed , mandrake and other plants of the family Solanaceae. It is a secondary metabolite of these plants and serves as a drug with a wide variety of effects...

 in syrettes. Chemical treatment was subsequently distributed in Autoinjector

Autoinjector

An autoinjector is a medical device designed to deliver a single dose of a particular drug....

form.

External links

• morphine syrette described at the "Saving Private Ryan" online encyclopedia