Hingson Peace Gun

Dr. Robert A. Hingson (1913-1996) is well known to anesthesiologists for developing the technique of caudal anesthesia for women in labor. He is better known around the world as a humanitarian. While serving as Chief of the Department of Anesthesiology at the U. S. Marine Hospital in Staten Island, New York, he treated an unusual injury. A sailor had accidentally injected diesel oil into his hand, leaving no visible wound. This experience led Dr. Hingson to work toward the invention of high-speed jet injectors, which can deliver precise dosages of medications, including local anesthetics.

The economy and speed of the jet injector enabled mass-immunization projects, which were introduced in 1956. Two years later, Dr. Hingson established the Brothers' Brother Foundation to provide this service in Asia, Africa and Latin America. It has been estimated that over 900 million people world-wide received jet-injected inoculations against such diseases as cholera, diphtheria, polio, smallpox and typhoid. Also known as "the peace gun", this injector was made by Med-E-Jet Corporation in the 1960s. Dr. Hingson was honored in many countries, and in 1987 he received the President's Volunteer Action Award in a ceremony at the White House.