Antique Davidson Syringe – 19th-Century Rubber Bulb Medical Apparatus for Enemas

Antique "The Davidson Syringe" For Enemas

Invented by Robert Davidson of Boston in the mid-19th century, the Davidson syringe revolutionized home and clinical medicine. Patented in 1860, it was among the first syringes to use a rubber bulb mechanism instead of a piston or plunger. This simple innovation allowed the syringe to deliver a steady flow of liquid through hand pressure alone—making it safer and easier to use for irrigation, enemas, wound cleansing, and other medical treatments.

Produced primarily by F.E. Davidson Manufacturing Co., these syringes were sold in Victorian medical catalogs and widely adopted by physicians and households alike. The design often featured a thick rubber bulb, detachable glass or hard-rubber nozzles, and nickel or brass fittings—a combination that represented cutting-edge medical technology of its era.

By the early 1900s, the Davidson syringe had become a staple of personal medicine kits and hospital supply rooms. Today, surviving examples stand as compelling relics of a transitional period between crude 18th-century medicine and modern sterile practice. Collectors value them for their distinctive design, embossed branding, and association with early advancements in hygiene and self-care.