This is what I used as a kid. A friend of my dad’s had diabetes and gave it to me when I was diagnosed in 1970, because I didn’t like jabbing – I’d touch the needle to my skin and slowly push, like an idiot. If you didn’t screw the top on tightly, when you pressed the trigger the syringe would bounce off the skin and fly across the room.
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Yikes…that looks like one o of those giant reusable syringes that people had to boil! Does it actually hold a disposable syringe? Or were they still using the boiled syringes in the 1970s?
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I love that imagery of the needle flying around the room. Undoubtedly landing in some obscure corner of the room lying perfectly next to the furniture so you have a hard time finding it…cursing the condition that led you to acquire such a beast. On the other hand it looks well made.
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When I was a young boy, I had an air-powered cork gun. You’d cock it like a BB gun and it shot little corks out of the barrel.
The diameter of the end of the syringes I was using was the exact same size as the corks.
I had seen the nature shows where they shot a wild animal with a tranquilizer dart so they could treat it or move it or tag it.
So of course there was only one thing to do with that setup…
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Which pet got the business end of that setup?
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No pets. I was out tracking wild animals, just like Marlin Perkins used to do!
That dude was the original Steve Irwin, “The Crocodile Hunter”. I think he was doing that stuff well into his 70’s.
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What a blast from the past!! 
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Mr Mutual of Omaha himself…right after Disney.
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I started out on plastic syringes – which fit the injector – though I had an impression they were still fairly new. My dad’s friend still used a glass one, which he boiled, and he sharpened his own needles. He was only in his mid-thirties then and modern in all other ways.
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I know it wasn’t that long ago, but man, sharpening your own needles is taking it to another level. I’ll bet you get good at that fast.
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I’m in the UK so things are a little different…
My mother had huge needles that you were issued with and were expected to last a life time, they came in a “cafe cigarette” tin with a window in it, just 6 of them. The tin also contained a small whet stone. she would clean, use, clean, drag over the stone and clean again before placing it carefully back in it’s clip.
She also had a Sterling injector gun, a stainless steel crossbow looking gun that the glass syringe would clip into and a sliding guard you set for the depth, of the then huge needles. LONG and THICK. You needed to pinch to form a pile of fat you could slide along into. Not like today and the tiny little right angular approach with the 4 mm needles.
Importantly - we have the National Health Service (NHS) and as we are chronic we are exempt from paying for our drugs and paraphernalia. In Scotland no-one pays for medicines at all ever!
If you register with a local chemist you can just walk in and get what’s on your repeat presciption and even get some medicines prescribed by the chemist. (it used to be called the minor ailments service) everything is generic so night-nurse will be whatever the proprietary brand says is in the bottle . Great for tons of normal conditions and saves the Doc a lot of hassle too.
BTW most of our doctors are employed by the NHS so we don’t pay for them either.
All emergency work be it medical or dental is free. Dentistry is heavily subsidised so its affordable for most.
I am so glad I live here - and as I get older it’s the main reason I will stay in Scotland, I have paid the dues so I should benefit from them.
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That is really neat sounding. Do you have any old pictures you can share? I would love to see it.
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When she dies some 12 years ago, I think my youngest brother binned all her stuff.
I will have a check and if I can find any appropriate images or the actual items I will post them here!
We never thought any of us would become type 1.
Interesting the news I saw relating rotavirus vaccine and reduction of childhood type 1…
So does that suggest older non vaccinated type 2s should be vaccinated against rotavirus in an attempt to ensure they do not become type 1?
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It certainly couldn’t hurt, but I am no sure there is any data that would indicate it would be helpful.
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I had one of those. 
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My T1D father-in-law raved about this device. So we got it for my T1D daughter. It really does hurt a lot less. We paid $99 for it. Lots of people hating on it in this post that have never even tried it.
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I have never tried it. I was just shocked at the price.
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Agree with you, it didn’t appear anyone here has used it. This tech isn’t widely used, probably because of the price. Glad your FIL and daughter is able to make good use of this. I think the humor end of this is that it seems a bit unnecessary because of all the pain in the Type 1’s world, finger sticks are one of the lowest for most people. But if they aren’t for you and the device works, awesome! What age is your daughter and why does she like this tech?
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I think you missed the point LOL the stirling gun (is actually called a palmer gun) and it shoots the syringe not a lancet.
Merry Christmas ALL
From Scotland
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OK, reviving this topic with a what I think is ironic thinking: I was just re-reading Think Like a Pancreas…you know, book 2 or 3 in the Bible of diabetes thinking… It states: “The liver is a fascinating organ. It does about a hundred different things, but one of its main functions is to store glucose (in a dense, compact form called glycogen) and secrete it steadily into the bloodstream in order to provide your body’s vital organs with a constant source of fuel.” Note: copyright Scheiner. So, my question, if the liver stores up all this glucose, and we all know glucose is solid sweetness, just exactly why does liver taste so mealy, dry, and bad?! Inquiring minds want to know!
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