Benjamin Rubin

{{Biology}}
'''Benjamin A. Rubin''' (September 27, 1917 – March 8, 2010) was an American [[Biology|microbiologist]] and inventor of the bifurcated needle. His invention is used in hundreds of millions of [[Vaccination|vaccinations]] around the world and played a key role in the World Health Organization's successful campaign to eliminate [[smallpox]]. Rubin received his BS in biology-chemistry from the College of the City of New York, his MS in biology from Virginia Polytechnic Institute, and in 1947, his PhD in [[microbiology]] from Yale University. He also held [[patent]]s in [[radiation]] devices, vaccines, steroid chemistry, and microbiology.<ref>"[https://lemelson.mit.edu/resources/benjamin-rubin Benjamin Rubin | Lemelson-MIT Program]". lemelson.mit.edu. Retrieved 2020-01-14.</ref>

==[[Smallpox]]==
Smallpox has historically been one of the deadliest diseases in [[human]] history. Its origins are unclear but appears to have first arisen in [[ancient Egypt]] (1570–1085 BCE) before spreading to [[India]] and later [[Europe]]. Since then, it repeatedly ravaged different parts of the world in devastating outbreaks.<ref>"[https://www.cdc.gov/smallpox/history/history.html History of Smallpox | Smallpox | CDC]". www.cdc.gov. 15 February 2019. Retrieved 6 January 2020.</ref> During the 20<sup>th</sup> century as many as 300 million people were killed by it.<ref>Riedel, S. (2005, January). Edward Jenner and the history of smallpox and vaccination. In: Baylor University Medical Center Proceedings (Vol. 18, No. 1, pp. 21-25). Taylor & Francis.</ref><ref>Microbe hunters, then and now. Medi-Ed Press. 1996. p. 23.</ref> One of the first major steps in combating the disease was the invention of the smallpox vaccine by [[Edward Jenner]] in 1792.

===Bifurcated needle===
[[File:Jet injector gun.jpg|165px|thumb|left|A jet injector gun from the 1980s.]]
[[File:Smallpox vaccine.jpg|165px|thumb|left|The iconic two pronged needle.]]
In 1965, Rubin designed the bifurcated needle in conjunction with engineer Gus Chakros by grinding down the eyelet of a sewing machine needle, pushing the eyelet into a fork shape. The refinements Rubin made to his ground-sewing-needle design yielded the now-familiar bifurcated (fork-shaped) needle. He discovered that the small space between the tines could hold enough vaccine to inoculate a person with a just a few injections. Prior to his invention about two million people per year died from smallpox worldwide and treating against smallpox en masse was a difficult procedure that involved the use of expensive and unwieldy jet injectors. Unlike the jet-injector, Rubin’s needle was very cheap, costing less than $5 for a thousand needles. A bifurcated needle can be sterilized with boiling water or holding it over a flame so it can be continually reused. Furthermore, the patient's skin did not need to be disinfected beforehand. Finally, the bifurcated needle used substantially less serum, further cutting costs.<ref>"[https://lemelson.mit.edu/resources/benjamin-rubin Benjamin Rubin | Lemelson-MIT Program]". lemelson.mit.edu. Retrieved 2020-01-14.</ref><ref>"[https://humanprogress.org/article.php?p=2237 Heroes of Progress, Pt. 32: Benjamin Rubin]". Human Progress. Retrieved 2020-01-14.</ref>

==References==
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Categories: Scientists, Medicine