Fast-forward a few decades, Rauol Mathieu, the son of Louis Mathieu, constructs a more modern syringe.

In 1879, the famed surgical instrument instrument maker, Louis Mathieu, passed at the age of 62. His legacy was continued by his son, Rauol Mathieu (Braye, 2015, p. 52). An 1881 article in La Lancette français: Gazette des Hopitaux Civils et Militaires places la maison Mathieu at the address of 113 Boulevard Saint-Germain, Paris.

This antique syringe body is made of glass and silver. The piston rod is fitted with an adjustable ring that coincides with numbered volume markers, used to control the amount of drug administered. The leather plunger is still intact. Two thread-mount needles accompany the set. Wire inside the case lid is used to keep the needles clean and patent. The velvet-lined wood and leather case is bound with silver-plated brass.

Resources

Braye, G. (2014). Louis Mathieu, coutelier chirurgical parisien d’origine belge (Unpublished doctoral dissertation, 2014). Actes. Société française d’histoire de l’art dentaire.

• From the Lusignan syringe collection