Want to see these objects in person? This exhibit is currently on display on the second floor of the Allen Memorial Medical Library. Click here for the library’s hours of operation.

The use of disposables in healthcare is not new, however, the benefits, limitations, and consequences of our reliance on single-use disposable medical products have been made newly visible by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Which disposable items play an important role in your health? What can we learn from the history of disposables that might help us build a more resilient, equitable, and sustainable healthcare system for the future? Although some single-use disposable items have components made of durable materials, like the metal needles found in the butterfly infusion set and Angiocath intravenous cannulation device, they are designed to be thrown away. The artifacts in this slideshow mark important moments in the history of healthcare technology, materials science, clinical practice, and the patient experience, but they won’t last forever. Note how the plastic and paper components are deteriorating on some of these objects. See if you can spot where the latex has started to break down on the intravenous infusion set with needle catheter and 50mL intravenous solution bag attached. Can you identify any challenges to collecting and preserving disposable artifacts such as these?

Unlike the 3cc sterile single-use PLASTIPAK syringe, shown here with its packaging, stainless steel Luer Lock hypodermic needles were intended to be used repeatedly for venipuncture. Can you see the wires inserted in the cannula of each needle? These aided in cleaning and prevented bending during sterilization and transport. Reusable stainless steel needles were paired with glass syringes such as a 1YV hypodermic syringe for injections and blood draws. In most U.S. hospitals, nurses and, later, supply technicians were responsible for cleaning, sterilizing, maintaining, and organizing durable clinical equipment through the 1980s, when the shift towards plastics and single-use disposables accelerated. There were many cultural, economic, and scientific changes that led to our current reliance on single-use disposables in healthcare. What are some that come to mind while looking at these artifacts?