A fellow at an auction sale gave to me a Quack medical device. It uses 110Ac input and has a rubber holder into which one of many glass or metal tubes are placed. When the unit is working the tubes will emit short 1/2 inch blue sparks into my hand or wherever I point the electrode. The sparks merely sting a bit but the current in can be increased to get more ooomph. How do these things work? I smell the ozone easily. Some of these units had as many as 20 electrodes in a variety of shapes.

del in mn, hi. When I was in high school (Elect-Tech) we did a show for "Assembly" with one of those devises. One fellow would stand near a table, with long table cloth down to floor,holding a fluorescent lamp bulb in hand, second fellow hidden under table would press electrode to his ankle area, third would walk on stage up to the guy with lamp and grab opposite end where upon bulb would light up (he was the ground). The device was a medical device used as an electro-massage to attempt to stimulate muscles for people with paralysis. I don't believe it was effective but it was an honest attempt at physical therapy. I'm not familiar with the circuitry but obviously high voltage transformer and some sort of limiting circuitry. PL

:A fellow at an auction sale gave to me a Quack medical device. It uses 110Ac input and has a rubber holder into which one of many glass or metal tubes are placed. When the unit is working the tubes will emit short 1/2 inch blue sparks into my hand or wherever I point the electrode. The sparks merely sting a bit but the current in can be increased to get more ooomph. How do these things work? I smell the ozone easily. Some of these units had as many as 20 electrodes in a variety of shapes.

A friend of mine has terrible back problems. A doctor/therapist gave her a device that she straps to her back (around her waist). The device emits shocks into the muscles in her back. This causes a massaging sensation. She says that it helps her a lot.

I've also heard of devices that operate your ab muscles until they're lean and a 6-pack is showing. I don't know how effective these devices are, but they make basic sense....at least in theory.

T.

When I had my shoulder surgery, my thearapist, as part of my torture sessions, placed four electrodes on my shoulder, and I adjusted a know until it was painful, and stayed that way for about 15 minutes while the little short pulses of high Voltage made me give myself a massage. Felt great afterwards (or maybe is was the pain killers).
Lewis

:A friend of mine has terrible back problems. A doctor/therapist gave her a device that she straps to her back (around her waist). The device emits shocks into the muscles in her back. This causes a massaging sensation. She says that it helps her a lot.
:
:I've also heard of devices that operate your ab muscles until they're lean and a 6-pack is showing. I don't know how effective these devices are, but they make basic sense....at least in theory.
:
:T.

I would like to get one of these devices. I would probably need to have the power of a Tesla coil or Jacob's Ladder though to turn my fat belly into a sculpted 6 pack

::I've also heard of devices that operate your ab muscles until they're lean and a 6-pack is showing. I don't know how effective these devices are, but they make basic sense....at least in theory.
::
::T.

The home models were called violet-ray devices and were popular in the 1920s. They didn't have any medical value I know of.

It is an interesting device. It throws blue like sparks about 3/4 inch from the end of the glass electrode into the hand or wherever it is pointed. They sting just a bit and the cat does not like it at all.

Hi all you device is very familliar to me.
As a history teacher I have researched such devices...You can find them from 1910- 1930s in Mongomery Wards and Sears catalogs. Electricity was something new at the turn of the century and these devices (I have a 12 volt one) were to cure all ailments from head-aches to irritable bowels...

:It is an interesting device. It throws blue like sparks about 3/4 inch from the end of the glass electrode into the hand or wherever it is pointed. They sting just a bit and the cat does not like it at all.