Colin Murdoch

As a boy, Murdoch struggled with dyslexia, making school difficult. But his aptitude for chemistry and engineering kept him at it, and by age 10 he had made his own gunpowder and a gun; he used it to hunt rabbits in his native New Zealand. He kept up his studies and first became a pharmacist and later a veterinarian, and saw that reusable glass syringes were spreading disease, so he invented the disposable syringe. He also invented the tranquilizer gun, the childproof pill bottle, the silent burglar alarm, and more -- he was awarded 46 patents in all. He received the New Zealand Order of Merit, but not much money: he was satisfied that his inventions improved the lives of millions, and decided not to sue the companies who violated his patents. Murdoch was diagnosed with cancer of the sinuses in 1991; it spread to the roof of his mouth, part of his jaw, and one eye; they were all removed. He died in Timaru, New Zealand, on May 4. He was 79. From This is True for 4 May 2008 Suggestions for further reading: The Craft of Baking: Cakes, Cookies, and Other Sweets with Ideas for Inventin... by Karen DeMasco, Mindy Fox Amazon Price: $22.14 Customer Review: this has great recipes and really easy to follow...my daughter has tagged about 20 pages as must do's!   Patents, Copyrights & Trademarks For Dummies by Henri J. A. Charmasson, John Buchaca Amazon Price: $16.49 Customer Review: Let me sum up this book for you - hire an attorney. There, I saved you $20. If you really want to tackle writing your own patent, check out Nolo's books. They're very good.   A Brilliant Solution: Inventing the American Constitution by Carol Berkin Amazon Price: $9.89 Customer Review: This book is a short, though insightful, overview of the US Constitutional Convention of 1787, focusing on the reasons for holding it, the major debates and divides, and the key participants, including personality aspects. The author's stated motivat...   Inventing the Truth: The Art and Craft of Memoir by William Zinsser Amazon Price: $10.04 Customer Review: This is a great book for anyone wanting to write their own memoir. There is invaluable information here for you to consider. William Zinsser is a superb writer and editor.   Inventing the Rest of Our Lives: Women in Second Adulthood by Suzanne Braun Levine Amazon Price: $10.20 Customer Review: I read this book because my friend sent an excerpt and I liked what I read. So, I purchased the book and devoured the entire thing. I felt like I was having a conversation with a good friend who really could help me understand what I had been feeling...   Newsfeed display by CaRP

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