Galvolite (electrotherapeutic device)

Object/Artifact

Museum Of American Heritage

Name/Title

Galvolite (electrotherapeutic device)

Entry/Object ID

1000.1801.103

Description

Electrotherapy device; quack medicine

Collection

Dave Baer

Made/Created

Date made

1914

Notes

where made: Atchison, KS

Material

Brass

Web Links and URLs

Kansas Historic Resources Inventory (Gives a history of Frederick Stein's engineering work.), National Register of Historic Places (Same doc as KHRI), New Zealand Vintage Radio Society Bulletin (journal with info about F. Stein and his inventions)

Interpretative Labels

Label Type

curated description

Label

The Galvolite Frederick William Stein, Atchison, KS Pat. Aug. 26, 1919 This plug-in device was created when electrical therapy was a booming health trend. It was sold through mail-order across the U.S. It used sinusoidal current to supposedly relieve pain, strengthen nerves, improve circulation, and manage nervousness (among other things). Stein invented the Galvolite in 1914 before his innovations in radio technology launched his electrical manufacturing career. He was the first to mass manufacture a radio that could plug into a light socket as its power source (in 1926).

General Notes

Note

Patented Aug. 26, 1919 Source: "Alphabetical List of Patentees," in Annual Report of the Commissioner of Patents for the Year 1919 (Washington D.C.: Washington Government Printing Office, 1920), 467. [Book accessed through hathitrust.org.] Source states: Sheeks, Horace M. and F. W. Stein, Atchison, Kans., Electrotherapeutical apparatus. No. 1,313,957; Aug. 26; vol. 265, page 482. screws into light socket, has light bulb, 2 hand held electrodes and comb