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Designed by Léon Laurent, this saccharimeter was presented to the Academy of Sciences in 1882 by Alfred Cornu. The device consists of a lens, followed by a nicol[1] prism that converges light on the opening of a diaphragm and a quartz crystal. The latter is used as a compensator. It considerably improves the conditions for observing and measuring the concentration of granulated sugar dissolved in aqueous solutions, in particular, the urine of diabetics, by eliminating the need to burn sodium.
[1] Set of two prisms from the size of the same spath crystal following a diagonal plane used to study the polarization of light.