Whitall, Tatum & Co. No. 1 Pocket Battery, 1879-1901

01

Artifact Overview

Physicians in the late 1800s and early 1900s saw therapeutic possibilities in the use of electricity. A number of doctors believed that medical batteries that administered low levels of electrical stimulation could treat a variety of diseases. Companies marketed and sold these electrotherapeutic devices to doctors and -- to the consternation of some in the medical profession -- average citizens.

Artifact Details

Artifact

Battery (Electrical)

Date Made

1879-1901

Location

Not on exhibit to the public.

Object ID

33.412.1

Credit

From the Collections of The Henry Ford.

Material

Mahogany (Wood)
Metal
Wire

Color

Brown
Red
Black (Color)

Dimensions

Height: 1.625 in
Width: 4.75 in
Length: 3.25 in

Inscriptions

on label inside lid:W. T. & CO. No. 1 / POCKET BATTERY. / PATENTED NOV 4TH, 1879. / DIRECTIONS: / [...] / WHITALL TATUM & CO / NEW YORK. PHILA[obscured] BOSTON
Whitall, Tatum & Co. No. 1 Pocket Battery, 1879-1901