What were catheters made of before plastic? A surprising history

October 2, 2025 •

4 min read

The use of catheters dates back as far as 3,000 B.C., long before plastics revolutionized medical devices. From hollow onion stalks to precious metals, the history of what were catheters made of before plastic? reveals a remarkable journey of innovation born from necessity.

Quick Summary

Before the invention of modern plastics, catheters were crafted from diverse materials including hollow reeds, metal (like gold, silver, and copper), treated animal skins, and various forms of rubber. Early innovations focused on creating rigid or malleable devices, while the 19th century introduced durable vulcanized rubber, a major breakthrough.

Key Points

Ancient Beginnings: Early catheters were made from natural materials like hollow reeds, onion stalks, and palm leaves, dating back to 3000 B.C..
Malleable Metals: Around the Roman era, catheters were crafted from metals such as gold, silver, copper, and lead, with silver prized for its malleability and perceived antiseptic qualities.
Benjamin Franklin's Innovation: In the 18th century, Benjamin Franklin designed a flexible silver catheter with drainage holes for his brother, significantly improving comfort and function over earlier metal versions.
The Rubber Revolution: Natural rubber emerged as a flexible alternative in the 1700s, but it was unreliable until Charles Goodyear's vulcanization process in the 19th century made it durable and stable.
Pre-Plastic Diversity: Before plastic dominated, materials also included woven silk coated with varnishes or resins, as well as treated animal and fish skins, though these had issues with cracking and degradation.
The Transition to Modernity: The challenges of infection, encrustation, and allergies with earlier materials like latex spurred further development, leading to modern sterile and biocompatible plastics and silicone.

The Dawn of Catheter Technology: Ancient Innovations

Catheter technology stretches back to the earliest civilizations, with evidence dating to 3000 B.C. in regions like ancient Syria and Egypt. The first catheters were far from the sterile, flexible devices we know today, instead relying on naturally available, hollow materials to relieve urinary retention.

Simple Organic Materials

Early civilizations turned to the natural world to find materials suitable for draining the bladder. These included:

Hollow reeds and stalks: Ancient Syrians used hollow reeds to drain urine. The Chinese reportedly used hollow stalks from the onion family, which provided a natural, tube-like shape.
Palm leaves and papyrus: Similar to reeds, these materials were rolled or shaped to create a channel for drainage.

The Era of Rigid Metal Catheters

As metalworking advanced, so did catheter technology. The Romans, Greeks, and other societies began crafting catheters from a variety of metals.

Gold, silver, copper, and brass: These metals were chosen for their malleability, allowing artisans to bend and shape them into more suitable forms. Silver was particularly prized, as it could be bent easily and was believed to have antiseptic properties. An S-shaped silver catheter was discovered during the excavation of Pompeii.
Lead: While less common and with known toxic properties, lead was also used due to its softness and ability to be shaped.

From Malleable Metal to Flexible Fabrics

The transition from rigid metal to more flexible materials was driven by the goal of making catheterization less painful and traumatic. This led to innovations using textiles and other pliant materials.

Woven and coated catheters: In the 18th century, artisans began creating woven catheters from materials like silk, which were then coated with lacquers, resins, or oils. This produced a device that was more flexible than metal, though still prone to issues like cracking and blockages.
Animal-derived materials: Some historical texts describe using treated animal skins or fish skin to create more pliable and supple catheters. These were often treated with salves to achieve the desired consistency.
Benjamin Franklin's contribution: In the mid-18th century, Benjamin Franklin worked with a silversmith to create a flexible silver catheter for his brother, who suffered from bladder stones. This design included side holes for improved drainage, significantly advancing the comfort and efficacy of metal devices.

The Rubber Revolution: A Major Leap Forward

One of the most significant breakthroughs in catheter materials was the introduction of rubber in the 18th and 19th centuries. Natural rubber offered unprecedented flexibility, but it had its own limitations.

Early rubber challenges: The first rubber catheters were unreliable. Natural rubber would become brittle in the cold and sticky in the heat, and it had a tendency to disintegrate inside the patient, leading to complications.
Charles Goodyear's vulcanization: In the 1800s, Charles Goodyear's invention of the vulcanization process fundamentally changed rubber's properties, making it far more durable and stable. This process created cross-links within the rubber polymer, preventing it from degrading easily and making it a far superior material for medical devices.
The rise of red rubber (latex): Following vulcanization, red rubber (a form of latex) catheters became the gold standard throughout the 20th century. They were widely produced and offered a level of comfort and flexibility previously unavailable.

The Pre-Plastic Era's Peak: Improving on Latex

Even with the improvements of vulcanized rubber, challenges remained. In the decades leading up to the widespread adoption of plastic and silicone, manufacturers focused on enhancing the existing rubber and latex products.

Antimicrobial coatings: In the mid-20th century, research began into coatings to reduce infection and encrustation. Silver-impregnated latex catheters were introduced in 1948, although with limited long-term success.
Balloon retention: Early models of self-retaining balloon catheters, like the one invented by Frederic Foley in the 1930s, relied on rubber balloons to hold the device in place. While revolutionary, the latex could still cause urethritis and other issues.

A Comparison of Pre-Plastic Catheter Materials


Feature	Ancient Reeds & Stalks	Metal (e.g., Silver)	Woven/Coated Fabric	Vulcanized Rubber (Latex)
Era	3000 B.C.	Roman era, medieval, 18th century	18th century	19th and 20th centuries
Flexibility	Rigid	Varies (malleable)	Flexible (but can crack)	Very Flexible
Sterility	Non-sterile	Considered antiseptic (silver)	Non-sterile	Sterilizable (but concerns exist)
Durability	Fragile	High (but can break)	Poor (coating cracks)	High (after vulcanization)
Patient Comfort	Poor	Poor (rigid)	Fair (potential issues)	Good (but allergies can occur)
Key Issues	Breakage, infection	Pain, infection	Cracking, encrustation, infection	Latex allergies, encrustation

A Historical Conclusion: The Path to Modern Medicine

The journey of catheter materials from hollow plant stalks to vulcanized rubber illustrates humanity's relentless pursuit of better medical tools. The challenges faced with early materials—rigidity, fragility, and infection—drove the innovations that eventually paved the way for modern, sterile, and biocompatible plastics and silicones.

For more information on the history of medical devices, you can explore resources like the Urologic History Museum. This historical context highlights not just the technological advancements, but also the enduring medical needs that have defined patient care throughout history. The evolution of what were catheters made of before plastic? is a story of continuous improvement, showing how each material, despite its flaws, represented a crucial step forward.

Frequently Asked Questions

Ancient civilizations, like those in Syria and Egypt, used readily available natural materials such as hollow reeds, onion stalks, and palm leaves to create early catheters for draining the bladder.

Metal, including gold, silver, and copper, was used because it was malleable and could be formed into durable, reusable tubes. Silver was also thought to have antiseptic properties that could help prevent infection.

No, Benjamin Franklin did not invent the catheter, but he did significantly improve its design in the 18th century by creating a more flexible silver catheter with drainage holes for his brother.

The first catheters made from natural rubber had major flaws; they would become brittle and crack in the cold or sticky in the heat, and could disintegrate inside the body.

The vulcanization process, invented by Charles Goodyear, greatly improved the durability and flexibility of rubber. This led to vulcanized red rubber (latex) becoming the standard catheter material for much of the 20th century.

Yes, other materials included woven silk or textile coated with varnish, as well as treated animal hides, though these often proved unreliable or prone to cracking.

The evolution of materials from rigid, natural items to flexible, durable, and more biocompatible options was crucial for increasing patient comfort, reducing the risk of trauma and infection, and advancing modern urological care.