Morphine and the Hypodermic Syringe

The isolation of morphine from opium by F. W. A. Sertuener in 1805 marked the beginning of a new era in opium use. Physicians now had access to a purified active ingredient; hence, they were no longer un­certain of the strength of a dose and could investigate the effect of a specific amount.

Hollow needles and syringes had been employed long before the appearance of the familiar syringe and needle in the nineteenth century, but the grow­ing number of purified chemicals, such as mor­phine, that could be directly injected into the body stimulated the pace of development and production. At first, injected morphine was considered less likely to be addictive than oral morphine because a smaller amount was required for equivalent pain relief. But by the 1870s this assumption was found to be erroneous, although many physicians contin­ued to use injected morphine for chronic ailments, such as arthritis.