Before premeasured carpules for local anesthetics were invented, powdered Novocaine was dissolved in a cup (see our posted model on this site). Using “sterile” saline and aspirated into a Fischer type syringe, Novocaine was injected. There was a considerable chance of injecting a non-sterile anesthetic. The cup could easily turn over and get contaminated. Gloves were not used by dentists. Handling with unsterile hands added to the possibility of contamination. Novocaine and gloves were invented in the same year, 1905. Eventually the injectable cartridge was introduced in 1917 after the invention of Harvey S Cook. Over the years Novocaine was replaced by other, less allergenic anesthetics. The most successfull was Lidocaine, synthesized in 1940 and still used today. This Novocaine powder is most likely from 1925 and was manufactured by the H.A. Metz Laboratories in New York. Description provided by Andrew I Spielman
Comments