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Directors and Brushes
French, G. Dupré, circa 1900
Two wire brushes (upper left and lower right) and a crown of points (upper right) can release static electricity into the air as ionization. The physician would hold the lower-right brush by its handle, which is about two feet long, and direct the ions at the appropriate parts of the patient's body. The two upper brushes would be hung from above, and mostly used to direct ions at the head. Deciding what part of the body was "appropriate" was partly arbitrary, and partly reasonable. A strong stream of ions would irritate the skin, in the same manner as a liniment or a mustard plaster. This caused an increase in blood-flow to warm the underlying tissues, a help in arthritis or bursitis. The ionization would also have an effect not unlike ultraviolet light, which is still used today to treat skin conditions. The pointed electrode would act much like the brushes, but with a more localized and concentrated stream of ions. The ball-tipped electrode would deliver a steady series of very weak shocks. The roller electrode, used over clothing, would deliver a similar stream of weak shocks. Applied to bare skin, it would simply deliver a weak electrical current with some fluctuations. The high electrostatic voltage, in all cases, could overcome skin resistance in a way battery power could not. The handles, and some of the conductive paths, are wood. Wood conducts static electricity, though it doesn't carry much of a current, so filtering the high-voltage electricity through the wood reduces the likelihood of unpleasant shocks. |
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This array of electrodes shows some of the many ways
static electricity could be applied in the late 19th century. The wooden-handled
electrodes are about two feet long, for scale. Only one electrode at
a time would be used. Here they are shown hung upon the support frame
for the wire brushes.