Letitia Mumford Geer

Life & Legacy

Letitia Mumford Geer (1852 – July 18, 1935) was an American nurse, inventor, and medical instrument manufacturer best known for creating the first practical one-handed medical syringe. Her 1899 patented design significantly improved the accuracy, sanitation, and efficiency of administering medications and influenced the development of modern syringes used in healthcare today. She later founded the Geer Manufacturing Company and contributed additional innovations to medical instrumentation, marking her as one of the earliest recognized women inventors in the field.