Electrotherapy

The use of electricity and magnetism to cure medical problems points to the quacks’ ability to take a general scientific discovery and manipulate it for profit. In 1791, Luigi Galvani discovered that direct current could be created when certain metals were put in contact with each other and placed in seawater. In 1800, Alessandro Volta found that he could store the galvanic electricity in a 'battery' made of disks of silver, copper and moistened cardboard.

Quacks reasoned that human sweat could   be used to replace the water in these   experiments and a whole host of remedies   using electrical current were born. Belts,   hairbrushes, jewelry, spectacles and even   supports for shoes were made to carry an   electric current with the understanding that   whatever they touched could be improved.

Between 1891 and 1897 Nikola Tesla perfected his Tesla coil which made it possible to manufacture portable electric devices for home use. Including galvanic and faradic batteries as well as violet ray generators, these machines were sold with attachments that allowed patients to administer their own electrotherapy treatments.