Julie,

        Bill is correct CRCG excavated a physician's privy in New Brunswick,
New Jersey that was probably filled in the early 1880s.  It was
published in Northeast Historical Archaeology, Vol. 25:33-50 (1996) as a
ray of sunshine in the sickroom.  The syringes were primarily large and
ungraduated.  Some of them may have been quite old when deposited as
Clifford Morrogh, the physician they are associated with began using
anesthetics on his patients in 1848.  None of the syringes retained
their needles, but given their age it is possible that the doctor used a
lancet to create an opening for the syringe.

        For more on syringes you might check:

Haller, John S.
        1981    Hypodermic Medication, Early History. New York State            Journal of
Medicine 81:1671-1679.

Howard-Jones, Norman
        1947    A Critical Study of the Origins and Early Development of
Hypodermic Medicine. Jorunal of the History of Medicine                 and Allied
Sciences 2:201-249.

I believe that Jean Howsen had some syringes at her Sullivan Street
excavations in NYC.  Milner also had some from 19th-century NYC sites.

Good luck with your research.

Rich Veit

Wm Liebeknecht wrote:
>
> Julie
>
> CRCG (formerly RAM) from New Brunswick, NJ excavated a doctor's privy which AI believe dated to around 1876.  This privy had a load of glass syringes in it.  Richard Veit wrote an article on the privy in CNHA's bulletin a while back but I don't known if mentioned the syringes as they were not the focus of the article.  But as the excavator and lab supervisor at the time I remember they were very large.  I have a glass syringe that I picked up at a flea market.  The tube is clear (4") but the plunger is cobalt blue and at the end of the plunger it was wrapped with cotton thread (I think this swells when wet thus producing the suction needed for it to work.  The other end goes through a cork which can be removed for filling.  The end of the glass tube has a black hard rubber tip attached.
>
> Bill Liebeknecht, MA
>   ----- Original Message -----
>   From: Julie Schablitsky
>   To: [log in to unmask]
>   Sent: Sunday, August 05, 2001 3:05 PM
>   Subject: MEDICAL SYRINGES
>
>   I am searching for information in the form of photos, recollections, and known collections of hypodermic syringes or recovered needles dating from the mid 1860s through the 1880s.  I recovered a glass syringe with several loose needles under the floorboards of a structure that burned in 1875 in Virginia City, Nevada.  The house was occupied at least 2 times (1873-dressmaker shop and 1875- the British Cooper Family) but more likely 3 to 5 times.
>
>   I am particularly interested in hypodermic syringe kits purchased by the average citizen from catalogs or pharmacies.  The glass syringe (barrell and plunger) has the end of the barrel lined with a lead rim and the remains of leather at the end of the plunger. The needles were short, blunt, and made from rolled copper.  Under the microscope one can observe small perforations in the needle; one of the needles even had sharpening marks.  Based on my readings from 1870s era medical books, the user needed to lance the skin prior to injection for these blunt needles.  I have searched high and low for information and have only come up with examples of "doctors" syringes with long pointed needles and steel barrels.
>
>   In addition, I have conducted DNA testing on the needles and the glass syringe tip.  Half of the samples are positive for DNA.  With these results and a tighter date on my syringe I would like to rule out certain people.  You may contact me on or off the list at [log in to unmask]       Thank you for any help or direction.   Julie Schablitsky
>
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