Those about 10 years older than myself recall a “gun” used to deliver vaccinations. Although hard to believe, my sisters claimed it didn’t hurt. (Maybe they were distracted?) Anyway, whatever happened to the “gun”? My little one REALLY hates shots, so anything that could make it easier on all of us (including the doctor) would be a miracle!
I googled around, and there are websites describing the device and how to order, but not its history as to why it seems unheard of today. I figured the SD, esp those in the medical profession, would know why this device does not seem to be the device of choice. - Jinx
I got the 1st swine flu vaccine from one in 1976. Hurt like hell and left a bruise on my arm the size of a quarter. Not just a “surface bruise”, but a deep one; it went about halfway through my arm.
I’ve never objected to an injection since. Well, not a vaccination injection, anyway. I had a root canal done about 5 years ago where the endodontist ended up giving me something 6 injections of anesthetic. The stuff kept squirting out of the injection site when he removed the syringe. Not only was my jaw feeling a bit sore from the repeated jabs, but that anesthetic tastes nasty! Before the last one, he told me that if this one didn’t take, he would have to let my jaw heal and try again in a week or two. It was the last attempt, since that one took. Seriously, it took longer to administer the anesthetic than to perform the root canal.
But, that gun, at least the one they used in the 70’s, was evil. I’d take a needle any day.
Yeah, their supposed advantage was that they didn’t need the sanitation requirements of needles - you could just pow, pow, pow away at a row of soldiers or school kids or other victims. Turned out to be true only in a field-hospital, pre-AIDS sort of way; the blowback from the injection puff sprayed small amounts of blood and tissue back on the nozzle. Congratulations, son, you’ve been innoculated against flu and with Hep B…
I was of that age but never had a pneumatic vaccination. My dad did, and I still remember him saying, “Hell, yes!” when I asked him if it hurt.
So we still stick bits of metal in our victims to cure them.
I worked for a time (late 70’s)at a hospital where they thought it a great idea to give all the nurses flue shots with a gun thing…not so great as more than half the poor nurses immunised in one day ended up with swollen arms and incapable of work for weeks.
I remember running a gantlet of guys armed with those things when I reported to basic training. IIRC we got three in the left arm and two in the right arm, or was it two in the left and one in the right? Anyway, all but one of them were vaccines. The last one was an antibiotic they gave us just because. Those injections hurt like a dirty SOB and young soldiers are sadistic in their humor, so there was a lot of arm punching over the ensuing several days.
If you look closely at the picture, there are two vaccination scars, a small one at the top and a larger one at the bottom. I’m guessing that the smaller one is a smallpox vaccination – I’ve got one of those and that’s pretty much what it looks like. But the caption only discusses one scar and doesn’t identify which one.
Ahhh yes, we had these in elementary school when we were immunized against German measles. I remember sitting in the classroom afterwards, all of us holding our arms in pain, and some of the girls were crying.
Back in 1986 I seem to remember one right and two left. I didn’t think it hurt that much but I had been warned beforehand to remain very still or it would cut your arm. I also seem to recall being told not to tense up, that may be why it hurt so much for some people.