MORI 149553

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TO: Deputy Director of Security

VIi : Chief, !edical Staff

FROM : Chief, Frogram Coordinition DIvisien, Nedical Office

sUBjBCt:ARTIChCkE; Evaluatien of lypospray

1. The Medical Office has completed preliminary invostiration of the Hynospray. In view of the many dorrogatory findings, it was felt advisable to submit this report so the merits of the project zay be re-evaluated.

2.

sitk are the principal commerical firms conducting research in the development of the Hypospray. Responsible officinls of these firms have been contacted, debriefed and the research results evaluated. These officials uniformly arreed that the Hmospray has not proven to be successful and thus far is not a satisfnotory substitute for the standard needle and syrinro injectien technique. They concurred en the following specific details:

a. The Hypospray dees not provide consistently painless injection.

b. Bleedins rerularly acsemronies jot iniecticn, similar in degree to that encountered with needle injection.

c. Any moverent of the device during injection results in multiple lacerations of the skin.

d. The Imospray night rossibiy inject through the thickness of a shirt, but the administered lose would be docreased, ani the iniecticn wculd not be sterile. It is not felt injection through clothing would te effective.

e. The effective lose delivered and the depth of renetration cannot he determinel accurately.(Sonsequentir, the rate of absorption and eventual effect of the tie drur used in ARTICHOKE work cannot be predicted with acceptable accuracy.)

f. The lbpospray cannot be used for intravenous injecticns. This is simificant because interrogatien tochniques utilizing drugs require use of the intravenous route.

c. IThe lyrospray can adainistor a maximum of 1 eo. of material; in order to aiminister 2 cc., the device wculd have to be at least doubled in size.

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h. Ampules containing 1//, 1/2 and 1 cc. of medication have been devoloped. Cf the t:o or three types developed, none have proven completely satisfactory.

i. The Hypospray is capablo of injecting practically any solution, even those quite visccus. Suspensions can also be injected if the particles are not too large.

j. The hypospray is the most effective jet injection device developed to date. It is aprroximately 9" long, l 1/2" in diameter and weighs 1200-l500 grams. Many experimental models of smaller sizo have been devloped, soze of fountain pen size, but these were discarded because they contained only 1/50 cc. and the effective amount administered varied considerably. Five experimental jet injection devices were examined at the and thirtyfiveatthe Ht

k. No way has been found to eliminate the noise made by the instrument at the time of release.

3. suggested to the Research Department of the that the size of the Itypospray might be reduced by utilizing a comoressed gas such as nitrogen as a power scurce. They felt such a device wouid be mechanically feasible and would probably reduce the size considerably. The Fesearch Director stated that a proiect todevelon this iniecter would cost about witat Such a device would probably not correct the cther objectionabie features listed above.

4. The NVedical Office notes vith misgivings the gonerally pessimistic sttitude of those engager in the resoarch and development of the lbypospray and their tendeney to regard it as a "white elephant". The impression was rained that the major objections are irtrinsic to the jet injection principle and will be nost difficult to eliminate. This Office canrot help but feel that the fypospray is of no value in its present statə of development ani that the project should be abandoned except for periodic checks with the researchers to follos progress made. In the event a jet injection device of sufficient merit to be acceptabie for general medical use is developed, steps would be taken to determino the possibilities of adapting it for clandestine use. The further refinements required for clandestine use would include elimination of noise, decrease in size and study of its effectiveness through clothing, since these are minor factors in its genoral medical use.

5. Decision as to the fuiture of. the project rests with Inspection and Security Office Staff, due to your groater knovledge of pctential operation uses of the device. Investigation has been halted pending your iecision.

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