Skin testing and vaccinating needles

A skin testing and vaccinating needle formed of plastic and consisting of a straight shaft at least one end of which is bifurcated into two sharp points spaced to pick up by dipping and retain thereon and therebetween a desired quantity of skin testing or vaccinating liquid, at least a portion of said shaft having a length and a cross-sectional shape and large enough in size to facilitate rotation of the needle about its longitudinal axis by rotation between a user's finger and thumb, and said spacing of said two sharp points also being sufficiently close together so that said sharp points will form a small hole in the skin upon said rotation of said needle combined with pressure against the skin.

A skin testing and vaccinating needle formed of plastic and consisting of a straight shaft at least one end of which is bifurcated into two sharp points spaced to pick up by dipping and retain thereon and therebetween a desired quantity of skin testing or vaccinating liquid, at least a portion of said shaft having a length and a cross-sectional shape and large enough in size to facilitate rotation of the needle about its longitudinal axis by rotation between a user's finger and thumb, and said spacing of said two sharp points also being sufficiently close together so that said sharp points will form a small hole in the skin upon said rotation of said needle combined with pressure against the skin, and

• wherein said small hole penetrates approximately to the full depth of the epidermal layer.

A skin testing and vaccinating needle formed of plastic and consisting of a straight shaft at least one end of which is bifurcated into two sharp points spaced to pick up by dipping and retain thereon and therebetween a desired quantity of skin testing or vaccinating liquid, at least a portion of said shaft having a length and a cross-sectional shape and large enough in size to facilitate rotation of the needle about its longitudinal axis by rotation between a user's finger and thumb, and said spacing of said two sharp points also being sufficiently close together so that said sharp points will form a small hole in the skin upon said rotation of said needle combined with pressure against the skin, wherein the spacing of said sharp points at their distal ends is approximately 0.015 of an inch.

A plastic skin testing and vaccinating needle consisting of a straight shaft at least one end of which is bifurcated into two sharp points spaced so as to both pick up by dipping and retention thereon and therebetween a desired quantity of skin testing or vaccinating liquid and upon simultaneous rotation and pressing drill a small hole in the skin so as to achieve epidermal penetration, at least a portion of said shaft having a length and a cross-sectional shape and being large enough in size to facilitate rotation of the needle about its longitudinal axis by rotation between a user's finger and thumb, wherein the surface thereof at least at the end including said sharp points thereat is an etched or matted surface which enhances the adherence thereto of skin testing or vaccinating liquid.

A method of skin testing or vaccinating with a skin testing or vaccinating needle having a dual pointed end which comprises simultaneously rotating the needle between a thumb and finger and pressing into the skin its dual pointed end loaded with an antigen or vaccine so as to drill a small hole into the skin sufficiently deep to achieve epidermal penetration and thereby deposit the antigen or vaccine at a site beneath the surface of the skin.