Electro-Magnetic Machines

	South Australian Medical Heritage Society Inc Website for the Virtual Museum
Home Coming meetings Past meetings About the Society Galleries of the Virtual Museum Main Galleries Medicine Surgery Anaesthesia X-rays Hospitals,other organisations Individuals of note Small Galleries Dentistry Nursing Ethnic medicine - Aboriginal - Chinese - Mediterran	Electro-Magnetic Machines Acknowledgements: We are grateful to Dr. P. M. Last, who demonstrated and provided an opportunity to photograph this machine. The apparatus was originally owned by Dr. H. C. F. Esau MD (Göttingen), the first general practioner in Woodside. A short time after Michael Faraday (1831) showed that changing magnetic fields will induce an electric current in a neighbouring wire, numerous types of electromagnetic machines were developed. They were used not only in parlour demonstrations, but also in the treatment of some medical conditions. The machine has a horseshoe permanent magnet, and two bobbins wound with wire rotated by a system of sprockets. They had a wide range of medical uses, and were popular in the latter part of the 19^th century. Their uses were directed at a wide range of conditions such as neurasthenia, toothache, and chronic fatigue syndromes. Reports in refereed medical journals were not supportive and the American FDA attempted to ban them in 1972, and they are no longer in use. Physiotherapists now however use much more sophisticated apparatus which produce deep heat either by radio short waves or therapeutic ultrasound. Inside of the lid showing manufacturer and directions for use. Machine showing the hand held electrodes. The machine with the magnet, rotating coils and the hand driven geared up sprockets and a final pulley drive. An increase in rotating speed produced sensations ranging from tingling to an electric shock. The machine's internals. School boy's "Electrical sets" in the first part of the 20^th century often included "Shocking Coils" run off a dry battery using a "make and break" actuated by the magnetism produced by a primary coil which induced a higher voltage in the multiple windings of the surrounding secondary coil, connected to the handles. These were only for domestic fun, or to demonstrate the principle of an induction coil. -o0o-

South Australian Medical Heritage Society Inc

Website for the Virtual Museum

Home
Coming meetings
Past meetings
About the Society

Galleries of the Virtual Museum

Main Galleries

Medicine
Surgery
Anaesthesia
X-rays
Hospitals,other organisations
Individuals of note

Small Galleries

Dentistry
Nursing

Ethnic medicine
     - Aboriginal
     - Chinese
     - Mediterran

Electro-Magnetic Machines

Acknowledgements:
We are grateful to Dr. P. M. Last, who demonstrated and provided an opportunity to photograph this machine. The apparatus was originally owned by Dr. H. C. F. Esau MD (Göttingen), the first general practioner in Woodside.

A short time after Michael Faraday (1831) showed that changing magnetic fields will induce an electric current in a neighbouring wire, numerous types of electromagnetic machines were developed. They were used not only in parlour demonstrations, but also in the treatment of some medical conditions.

The machine has a horseshoe permanent magnet, and two bobbins wound with wire rotated by a system of sprockets. They had a wide range of medical uses, and were popular in the latter part of the 19^th century.

Their uses were directed at a wide range of conditions such as neurasthenia, toothache, and chronic fatigue syndromes. Reports in refereed medical journals were not supportive and the American FDA attempted to ban them in 1972, and they are no longer in use. Physiotherapists now however use much more sophisticated apparatus which produce deep heat either by radio short waves or therapeutic ultrasound.

Inside of the lid showing manufacturer and directions for use.

Machine showing the hand held electrodes.

The machine with the magnet, rotating coils and the hand driven geared up sprockets and a final pulley drive. An increase in rotating speed produced sensations ranging from tingling to an electric shock.

The machine's internals.

School boy's "Electrical sets" in the first part of the 20^th century often included "Shocking Coils" run off a dry battery using a "make and break" actuated by the magnetism produced by a primary coil which induced a higher voltage in the multiple windings of the surrounding secondary coil, connected to the handles. These were only for domestic fun, or to demonstrate the principle of an induction coil.

-o0o-