Neu-Vita Oculizer: Quack Sight Improver

Neu-Vita Oculizer: Quack Sight Improver

$295.00

Neu-Vita Oculizer: Quack Sight Improver

Circa

1950s

Maker

Neu-Vita Ltd.

Country of manufacture

UK and Ireland

Categories: Medicine, Quack Medicine

Description

A near-mint and boxed example of Lacy’s Neu-Vita Oculizer, a quack device the claimed to improve the vision of those who employed it. It was patented by Leonard Lacy in 1931 and was still in production in the1950s, as evidenced by this example’s instruction booklet having a 1954 date.  

The Antikey Chop site notes:

“When marketing the Oculizer, Lacy falsely claimed that regular massaging of the eyeballs with the Oculizer, for just a few minutes daily at dusk or dawn, a user could strengthen his or her eyesight while increasing necessary blood to the eyes. To execute these claims, the Oculizer offered two methods of stimulation. The first was pneumatic. While the plastic eye cups on one end were pressed against the eyelids and the red rubber bulbs were squeezed, the apparatus would poke the eyes.

 

The second method was by the massaging of the eyelids except with the other end of the apparatus. With the eye cups pressed to the eyelids, the user would use the hand crank to rotate the eye cups and, in turn, stimulate blood flow. Ultimately, neither method was effective because all of the claims were false. The Oculizer was no more than a quack medical device.”

 

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Dealer information

US M and R Gordon

Michael and Roberta Gordon have been dealing in medical and dental antiques for more than four decades. They have helped build a number of major private collections and have contributed to the holdings of many museums. They also deal in other scientific and technology related items, including calculating instruments, office machines, patent models and wine-related accessories such as corkscrews. ROBERTA GORDON IS A SKILLED RESTORER WHO CAN HELP YOU WITH ANY INSTRUMENTS AND CASES THAT NEED ATTENTION. Feel free to contact them for details at: [email protected] or 718-541-5974