Letitia Mumford Geer
Background Born in New York in 1852, Letitia Mumford Geer had a relatively large family with four siblings, all born to parents George Warren Geer and Cornelia Matilda Geer. [3] Although little is known about Geer’s upbringing and early life, her passion for the healthcare industry was evident. As a nurse, Geer was already a pioneer in pushing societal limitations for women at the time. The lack of coverage of her background and early career speaks to the level of respect women received professionally in the mid to late 19th century.
Pain Point and Innovation Geer’s experience while working as a nurse led her to understand the intricacies of the medicinal field. Working with needles on a daily basis, she grew tired of the two-handed involved process of injecting the medicine. While needles or syringes were already being used at the time, they involved both hands being free. [4] Syringes had only been around for thirty-odd years by the time Geer explored the idea of innovating the current inefficient process. [4] The groundbreaking creation Geer produced looked to expand the usability of the current syringe system. [1[ On Feb 12, 1896, to solidify her thinking, Geer pursed a patent, number ‘US622848A’. [1] This patent was granted a short three years later in 1899, for her one-handed syringe. [5] The design was an instant success as it revolutionized the capabilities of medicinal insertion. Geer’s syringe’s simple and cheap design complemented the widespread success of her design. [5] The entire premise of the new syringe “the handle can be drawn into a position near to the cylinder while injecting the medicine by the use of one hand, thereby enabling the operator to use the syringe upon himself.” [3]. The syringe featured a nozzle, U-shaped handle, cylinder, and piston rod. Geer’s design also allows patients to self-administer medications with one-handed availability. [3]
Societal Impact Geer’s one-handed syringe was a step forward for the efficiency of the medical field and an inspiration for women innovators nationwide. The extremely low visibility of Letitia Mumford Geer’s impact as an early woman innovator is a testament to the necessity for more coverage of women-led innovations. Modern-day syringes still use the same design principles from Geer’s 1896 one-handed solution. [3] Even with her everlasting advancement of medical health care, her name is lost in the list of notable innovators. [3] While the main purpose of Geer’s design idea was to ease rectal injections, the ideology can be applied to virtually every application for administering injections. [5] While the basic needle one-handed syringe has the potential to be further innovated and eventually replaced, Geer’s forward-thinking still shines today. Patients, young and old, receive medications through her design on a daily basis and will continue to for the foreseeable future. Geer pioneered her field and pursued a patent very few women would even consider attempting at the time. Geer’s societal impact is profound; budding innovators worldwide should use her success as inspiration. The long-lasting impact is achievable and even more accessible with decreasing societal limitations.
References
[1] Koshy, B., & Kankanala, K. C. (2016, March 5). Women's Day Series: The woman behind the syringe patent. BananaIP. Retrieved December 4, 2022, from https://www.bananaip.com/ip-news-center/womens-day-series-woman-behind-syringe-patent/
[2] Letitia Geer | Women in STEM | St Mary's College. (2022). St Mary's College Adelaide. Retrieved December 4, 2022, from https://www.stmarys.sa.edu.au/women-in-stem-letitia-geer.html
[3] Mishkov, A. (2022). Letitia Mumford Geer – Notable Women in Medicine. Documentary Tube. Retrieved December 4, 2022, from https://www.documentarytube.com/articles/letitia-mumford-geer-notable-women-in-medicine
[4] Petoskey, B. J. (2022, March 12). 10 Women Whose Work You Know But Not Their Names. Listverse. Retrieved December 4, 2022, from https://listverse.com/2022/03/12/10-women-whose-work-you-know-but-not-their-names/
[5] Rishavy, A. (2021, March 4). Women's History Month, 2021. MedSource Labs. Retrieved December 4, 2022, from https://www.medsourcelabs.com/newsroom/most-influential-women-in-medicine-health-care/
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