Name/Title
DAVIS MAGNETOEntry/Object ID
2020.14.24Description
These were some of the earliest electrotherapeutic devices manufactured in the United States in 1854 and marketed by Dr. Jerome H. Kidder. These were manually operated magnetos capable of generating Faradic (irregular alternating) currents to relieve pain and partial paralysis. The patient would grasp the metal electrodes while the doctor or someone else cranked the device generating therapeutic currents through the body causing involuntary muscle contractions. These Kidder portable devices were usually housed in beautiful hardwood cases with brass contact switches. Eventually, the 1938 Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act was instrumental in diminishing the sale of these devices to the public for electrotherapeutic purposes.