Interestingly, the concept of the piston-cylinder syringe is not of recent inception. Historians believe its point of origin was Alexandria, Egypt, around 280 BC. Its original use had nothing to do with phlebotomy but rather to extract pus from infected wounds.
Syringes used for venipunctures had two different Luer locks on which to attach the needle, female on the top image and male on the bottom image.
Images courtesy of Wikimedia Commons
