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Magneto
Magneto-electric machines like this were common in the second half of the 19th century. These easy-to-use machines were sold to doctors and the general public as a cure for pain and many other ailments. They produce periodic pulses of alternating current (AC), which are applied to the body. Early telephones
Electric Bath Patent Model
This is the original patent model for an Electro-Therapeutic Bathing Apparatus, invented by William W. Karshner. The patent was filed on January 25, 1859. After President George Washington established the first Patent Act, these miniature-scale models that showed how inventions worked were required by the United States Patent and Trade
Coolpate Forehead Cooler
This home remedy was popular in the early 20th century. “Light as a feather and cool as the coolest spring,” it was billed as being indispensable for “Brainworkers, Students, Sportsmen and Those Vocations That Place Its Workers Under a Mental Stress.” Supposedly, this product increased blood circulation in the head
Violet Ray
Before the turn of the 20th century, Nikola Tesla was interested in the medical applications of high-frequency electricity and patented several objects for such an application. One object was the violet ray generator that used various electrodes to send high-frequency electricity into the user’s body. The device was used to
Electricity is Life
The Electricity is Life machine could be found in arcades around the turn of the 20th century. People might pay a penny to cure their ailments such as “headaches, neuralgia, rheumatism, nervousness.” The machine generated an electric current when a person moved the handles. In addition to its supposed medical
On Medical Material
Pedanius Dioscorides was a first-century physician traveling with the Roman army under Emperor Nero to places such as Italy, Gaul, Spain, and Greece. During his travels, he studied local plants, making note of their medicinal uses and adding extensively to the knowledge of plant use in medicine. When he finished
Jarvik-7, First Successful Artificial Heart
First used in 1982, this device assists the heart in pumping blood and is powered by a separate air compressor outside of the body. The artificial heart attaches directly to the natural one. Named for its designer, Dr. Robert K. Jarvik, it was used as a permanent implant for five
Perkins Tractors
Connecticut physician Elisha Perkins developed “Perkins” tractors to cure a variety of ailments, such as rheumatism, gout, and inflammation. He theorized that these iron or brass pins, when drawn across the painful area, would ease discomfort. In 1796, Perkins applied for a U.S. patent for his tractors. That same year,
Psychodiagnostic Plates
In 1917, Swiss psychiatrist Hermann Rorschach tested his inkblot system, comprised of five color inkblot cards and five black and white cards. As they were shown each card, 300 patients and 100 control subjects were asked to respond while Rorschach wrote down their answers. Afterward, he showed patients the cards
Vector EKG Wire-frame Models
Otto Schmitt, a biophysicist at the University of Minnesota, is considered the father of biomedical engineering. Schmitt wanted to improve on the electrocardiograph (EKG), which measures electrical currents of the heart. As a result of his research in the late 1940s and 1950s, he created a way to represent a
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