"Jules" wrote in message
news
On Fri, 21 Aug 2009 02:41:08 +0100, nightjar wrote:
The device was a Heaf test gun. Dr Heaf invented a simple test for
tuberculosis in 1951, which involved firing a circle of six needles into
the
inner forearm, through a film of protein derived from the TB bacillus.
You
probably had it done at school around age 12-14, where it was more
commonly
known as the BCG test, as anyone with a negative reaction would get a BCG
vaccination against TB.

Fascinating. I remember that test at school, and tales abounding in the
months leading up to it about how painful it was and how it'd go all
infected and nasty and your arm would probably drop off etc. :-)

Not entirely lies, at least about the vaccination. That should be done at
the insertion of the deltoid muscle - a small depression on the outside of
your upper arm. When I was working with members of the British Thoracic
Society on the development of the disposable Heaf test, I saw some of the
pictures of what could go wrong if it was done too high. In one case, almost
50% muscle loss occurred.

Colin Bignell