I had something like this - seen on an old auction - when I was a teenager, a strange electric ray machine for easing rheumatism and the like. I didn't own it for medical reasons, it was simply my magpie soul that made me buy it from a junk shop on one of my regular trips into darkest Preston looking for kukris and wakizashis.
I have no idea if the science behind these period ray units was sound or whether these were plug-in quackery. I don't recall plugging mine in and sadly it vanished into the currents of time and space around 1980 when I moved out.
Did you have anything like this? I wonder if any where ever made for Victorian or Edwardian kids to play with?
I'm sorry but what in the Wide Wide World of Sports is 'kukris and wakizashis' ???
ReplyDeleteMish.
ha ha, they are Asian short swords Mish. I was obsessed with Asian martial arts when I was a young teenager, which included collecting old weaponry, which I found in junk shops. Kukris are wavy Indian short swords and Wakizashis are small Samurai swords. I had several Kukris but no Japanese stuff, as I couldn't afford one with my pocket money. I did get a cheapo knockoff Samurai Sword from the Grattan catalogue, courtesy of my Mum and Dad. That's the only survivor from my old armoury! I bet you wish you'd never asked! ha ha
DeleteI have seen such items once or twice on the Antiques Roadshow - about the best British television programme made since the Golden Age of the 1960s. I think they would be more likely to kill than cure, so you were wise not to plug yours in - even in the 1970s the wiring would have been pretty old. I doubt there were any made as toys, but you never know, there are some really weird things out there.
ReplyDeleteMe and the Missus like the antiques roadshow Paul. There are loads of TV programmes like it now during the day, every day! I've never seen one of these sets on any of them but I can well imagine that they're collectable. I've no idea where my own went but I did move house a great deal in the 1980's. Maybe ten times!
DeleteIts victorian pseudo science. It does project a ‘violet ray’, but its just harmless electrical plasma, like you see in those globe lamps in gizmo shops. The actual health benefits are negligible!
ReplyDeleteVictorian plasma! love it! Isn't that steampunk?
DeleteThanks for the explanation about the swords Woodsy.
ReplyDeleteI thought I'd suddenly gone dyslexic!
Mish.
You're welcome Mish.
DeleteWe still have a similar item, and we use it all the time! It works, for us, anyways. A light infra-red heat...
ReplyDeleteReally Zigg? Is it one of the those big PIFCO red lamps?
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