Who Invented the IV?

Today, for most people, IV therapy is a go-to medical procedure for regenerating and rehydrating the body, but before IV became a staple in healthcare, there was a lot of trial and error. Like any other advancements, infusions also had many roadblocks to overcome. So, who invented the IV? Read on to find out!

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Mobile IV Therapy: Who Invented the IV?

It may be surprising to hear that IV as paper modern standards is not even a century old, but its inception can be traced back to the 1660s. 

Even though the practice of injecting fluids goes that far back, the lack of knowledge about the human body understandably stunted its further development. Still, many consider Christopher Wren, a 1660s scientist, “the father of IV” as he created the first infusion device. 

While the road to perfecting IV therapy has been centuries long, the advancement of the last 50 years led us to mobile IV services like the Drip IV Infusion. In fact, with us, our patients can get the best at home IV therapy Queen Creek has to offer. 

When Was the IV Drip Invented: A Brief History of IV

The first ever recorded attempt of administering IV was even further back in 1492. According to the records, this occurred when Pope Innocent VIII was ill and was transfused blood from three young boys. Unfortunately, the IV treatment failed, and all four died. 

After this recorded attempt, the concept of IV transfusion is absent from recorded history for over a century. That is until Christopher Wren’s experiments. 

Even though Christopher Wren may be considered “the father of IV,” several other scientists after him significantly contributed with their experiments. It is important to note that the development of IV therapy began with the science of blood transfusion. 

The many scientists’ experiments and discoveries led to IV therapy as we know it today. So, let’s see what those experiments entailed.   

Sir Christopher Wren

In 1656, Sir Christopher Wren worked on developing an IV device. He made the device from a pig bladder attached to a hollow goose quill, which he inserted into a large vein.

What followed after Wren’s IV device invention was a series of experiments where he administered different intravenous substances to dogs. His experiments aimed to study if intravenously administered substances would have the same effects as if administered orally.

The three substances Wren administered were opium, alcohol, and crocus metallorum (17th-century emetic). The results were as he expected: 

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  the opium-injected dog fell asleep
  
• 
  the alcohol-injected was inebriated.
  
• 
  the crocus metallorum-injected dog died
  

He proved the substances administered through an IV device have the same effects as those administered orally.

Richard Lower

After Wren’s device proved to be an issue due to the delicate quills, in 1665, Wren’s colleague Richard Lower created a new device with silver instruments. Richard Lower performed the first successful transfusion between two dogs with the new device.

Jean Baptiste Denis

The first animal-to-human transfusion was performed two years after Lower’s successful animal-to-animal IV transfusion. Dr. Jean Baptiste Denis, in France in 1667, performed a successful xenotransfusion (animal-to-man IV transfusion).

He transfused nine ounces of lamb’s blood into a man. Despite its initial success, the transfusion soon caused many adverse effects, leading to the deaths of those who received transfusions. 

The deaths led to the ban on blood transfusions in France in 1667, England in 1668, and the Vatican in 1669. The bans stalled the advancements in IV therapy for over 100 years.

James Blundell

More than a century later, in 1830, English obstetrician James Blundell performed the first successful human-to-human blood transfusion. 

Blundell used the administration of blood as a treatment for hemorrhaging for women who bled profusely during or after birth. However, the treatment predated understanding blood types, so the results were unpredictable. 

Advancements in IV Technology

In the late 19th century, with the cholera outbreaks across Europe, IV therapy evolution bloomed. Dr. William Brook O’Shaughnessy realized that his patients were losing water and saline, which needed to be restored. 

Upon his advice, Dr. Thoma Latta 1832 used a syringe and a silver tube to treat patients with intravenous saline. After this, the inventions continued further.

But the introduction of plastic tubes was when everything changed. The first disposable plastic IV catheter device was developed in 1950 by Dr. David Massa, known as the “Rochester plastic needle“.

With IV therapy becoming safer, by the 1960s, IVs became routine treatments in hospitals across the U.S. 

Modern Uses of IV Therapy

Modern uses of IV therapy are many, including health and wellness reasons. Hospitals and healthcare providers use them for:

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  administration of medication and fluids
  
• 
  blood transfusion and collection
  
• 
  chemotherapy and other cancer treatments
  

In contrast, IV wellness therapy may aid in aesthetic and health reasons. Mobile IV therapy helps patients by providing fast service in cases of dehydration, energy boost, sickness remedy, etc. 

Source: shutterstock.com/ Photo Contributor: magicoven

Conclusion

So, if you wonder who invented the IV, the answer is that many scientists contributed to their experiments. However, Sir Christopher Wren is largely recognized as the inventor of IV.