The Parisian Louis-Auguste Desmarres (1810–1882) was a well known French ophthalmologist whose name has been attributed to a number of ophthalmological instruments including this early polished steel ophthalmoscope.

The ophthalmoscope comes with its original silk and velvet lined leather etui, a single internal lens and the central indirect lens. The body of the scope is signed “Mathieu a Paris” and the leather case is embossed in gold letters “Instte de Chirugie L Mathieu 26 R.De L’Ancne Comedie Paris”

• From the Phisick collection