Name/Title
Merke ThermocapDescription
The Merke Thermocap was manufactured by Allied Merke Institutes, Inc., New York, for hair growth (ca. 1920). Personal appearance has been of interest to patients from the earliest recorded history when Egyptian physicians treated baldness with “fat of lion, fat of hippopotamus, fat of cat, fat of crocodile, fat of ibex, fat of serpent, are mixed together and the head of the bald person is anointed with them.” In the nineteenth century, manufacturers responded to the market by producing a number of devices to address the “medical problem” of hair loss powered by direct current, static electricity, magnetism, heat, and vibration. The healing component of this cap was a simple light bulb.Condition
Overall Condition
Very GoodDate Examined
Aug 9, 2026Create Date
August 9, 2026Update Date
August 10, 2026
