Description

Magneto electric machine medical use ca 1900
in completely original and working condition
dimensions of the box 25 X 12 X 12 cm
Will be well packaged and sent by registered mail

DESCRIPTION:
Nineteenth-century scientists were fascinated by the promise and mystery of electricity. In 1854, manufacturer W.H. Burnap produced a well-known electrotherapy device that was purchased by the general consumer as well as some physicians and hospitals: The Davis & Kidder Patent Magneto-Electric Machine for Nervous Diseases. The operator of this electromagnetic generator would place handles in the patient’s hands or elsewhere on the patient’s body and then turn a crank to deliver a ‘mild’ alternating current to the patient. The force of the current depended upon the speed with which the crank was turned. The makers claimed that it could relieve pain, as well as cure numerous diseases, including cancer, consumption (tuberculosis), diabetes, gangrene, heart disease, lockjaw (tetanus), and spinal deformities. Fortunately, serious study of electricity for medicine has also taken place. Scientific investigations into the physiological and possibly therapeutic effects of electricity have led to beneficial uses, including devices used by anesthesiologists to ensure that patients receive proper doses of certain muscle relaxants, to accurately locate nerves for the safe administration of nerve blocks, and to treat chronic pain.