Quack Medical Shock Machine From 1899
Featured in Ripley's Believe It or Not!
Believe It or Not!, in the early 1900s, it was popularly believed that small doses of electricity could cure many ailments, from rheumatism to baldness. Shock machines, like this one, were often bought by ailing persons so they could administer their own treatment without calling for the local doctor.
To “take the medicine,” handles were placed on the ailing part of the body, then the patient’s body was used as a conductor as electric current passed between the probes. Prominent at a time when electricity was hard to come by, these shock machines usually generated their own, or came with a battery. Existing far before the AA battery was standard, devices like the Sibley Voltamp came with a custom battery. Models with generators included a handle that would be cranked to stimulate current.