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Electro-LUXurious 4: the Curative Electric Chair, Complete with Apparatus for the Treatment of the "Depending Organ", 1891

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This is the fourth in a new series of posts on interesting, early applications of electricity, most of which are taken from the archives of the U.S. Patent Office.

J(osephus) C. Chambers, the patentee of the apparatus below, was the owner of Chambers' National Lightning Protection Company (Newport, Kentucky), and held a number of patents relating to lightning rods, electrical insulators, a telephone apparatus (1881), and a number of associated bits of techno. I'm not exactly sure what this device, below, did, except that it seems like a low-voltage quack-medical electric chair.

The first patent drawing, below, shows a view of the chair and at front, looking backwards towards the  "ornamented" wooden cabinet that contained the guts of the machine, with the seat (which would have a metallic, conductive surface) removed.  You would place your hands on the two capital "H" pads that seem to be just below the two drawers; your feet would go on the two "h" pads at bottom. 

The drawing below references how the various swinging arms and such can be maneuvered to reach any part of the body.  Mind you now the inventor doesn't actually state what this electrical treatment "does", only how you apply it and the technical stuff behind the machine. Also ir is not a solitary experience--there would be another person operating the controls on the top of the wooden case.

I wondered about the cup ("J"), and thought, well, maybe that's not what I think it might be for...but it is, waiting there to treat "the depending organ".

The U.S.  Patent Office report reads as follows:

United States Patent Office.

JOSEPHUS C. CHAMBERS, OP DETROIT, MICHIGAN.
ELECTRICAL MEDICAL APPARATUS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 445,636, dated February 3, 1891.

Application filed April 21,1890, Serial So, 348,911, (So model,)

To all whom it may concern:

Electro-LUXurious 3: Anti-erection "Body Wear" 1889

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Electrical Anti-Erection "Body Wear"  1889

This is the third in a new series of posts on interesting, early applications of electricity, most of which are taken from the archives of the U.S. Patent Office.  Unlike the general post in this blog, many of the Electro-LUXurious post images and documentation can be presented without commentary. 

 

Electro-LUXurious, 2: Electrical Anti-Masturbation Device for Horses,1894

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This is the second in a new series of posts on interesting, early applications of electricity, most of which are taken from the archives of the U.S. Patent Office. 

Electrical Anti-Masturbation Devices for Horses, 1894

 

Be it known that I, Geoger. King, residing at Dallas, in the county of Dallas and State of Texas, have invented a new and Im5 proved Electrical Appliance, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to an electric appliance, adapted for use on stallions, to stop and cure the habit of masturbation, and such invention consists; in the peculiar and novel combination of parts, hereinafter fully described in the specification, and particularly pointed out in the claims, reference being had to accompanying drawings in which—

Figure 1 is a perspective view of the appliance. Fig. 2 is a similar view thereof with the upper plate detached, to illustrate the electric generating devices, and Fig. 3 is a view illustrating the appliance as applied to the animal. Referring to the accompanying drawings, A indicates a suitably constructed box or receptacle, preferably of the shape shown, the side and end walls a a' of which are formed of hard rubber or some other non-conducting material.   B indicates the bottom plate of brass or other metal, which projects beyond the end walls a', as at ~b b, and provided with slots VV as shown.  C indicates the electric generating devices which are held in the box A, and which may be of any well known construction:, one terminal of which contacts with the lower plate...

Electro-LUXurious 1: Electrical Advertising Signs

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 This is the first in a new series of posts on the history of the invention of early applications of electricity to, well, whatever.  This first example, far from being the first patent granted for an electrical apparatus, is interesting because of how relatively modern its outcome looks--if we defined "modern" at about 1975.  Digital displays have replaced most signage whose basis was formed in this patent, though various palm readers, "loose" gold buyers and tent revivalists continue to use the things.  But for the times in which machines like this were new commodities, they were sensational--not only did they actually utilize electricity (many things advertised during this period were named "Electric _____  or  _____" but had absolutely nothing to do with the application of a current--they were simply using the name in a fad for brand recognition, much like Atomic Bakery and Nuclear Toasties did) seeing the electrically-lighted words must've felt a little like the exhilaration in seeing your first television.  [An earlier post on this blog on very early electrical signs appears here.]

 

The patent reads (below):