Good Vibrations: The History of Electrotherapy

Medical batteries are some of the earliest examples of electrotherapy, or the treatment of diseases by using electricity. These machines were considered legitimate devices by medical professionals while also being sold directly to consumers with the promise to cure almost any type of ailment. Guillaume-Benjamin-Amand Duchenne, an early innovator in the use of electricty in medicine (on the right) is considered to be the "father of electrotherapy."