On the edge of common sense: A product with mass-market appeal

The ad companies are always on the lookout for new inventions they can market for millions. On a trip to Cedarville awhile back, Rachael and James told me a story, and I immediately recognized its mass-market advertising potential. It seems Uncle Jack had diagnosed bilateral pink eye in one of his Black Angus bulls. (Note: before you say anything, I observed that I had rarely seen pink eye in black bulls, but Rachael stuck to her guns so I didn't quibble.) Uncle Jack decided to treat it with a big shot of LA 200. The bull was difficult to push, much less get into the corral, so Uncle Jack figgered they could drive up next to him and administer the dose freehand. They tried, but the bull was too skittish. What to do? What to do? Just as fear is the father of fence chargers and whacking your thumb is the stepfather of cussing, so is necessity the mother of invention. Uncle Jack set about constructing the Plastic Syringe Injection Extender, or PSIE. He used a 35cc plastic disposable syringe; 4 feet of 1¼ inch PVC pipe; 4 feet, 6 inches of 1-inch PVC pipe; and duct tape. He taped the big PVC to the syringe, then inserted the 1-inch PVC inside the larger to act as a plunger. Voila! He practiced on apples, Styrofoam, a roasted chicken, an old car seat and his late grandfather's prosthesis...Amarillo.com