Magneto-Electric Machine
date: label: date made
content: around 1880
name: label: maker
content: Joseph Gray and Son
notes: label: Description
content: Ari Davis (ca. 1811-1855) was a skilled American craftsman who received two patents in 1854. One (#10,788 of April 18) described a machine for producing wooden boxes with metal-reinforced dovetail corners. The other (#11,415 of August 1) described a magneto-electric machine. While this second patent was still in process, Davis sold the rights to both patents to Walter Kidder, a physician in Lowell, Massachusetts, allegedly for $4000. Advertisements for DAVIS’ (later DAVIS & KIDDER’S) PATENT MAGNETO-ELECTRIC MACHINE, FOR NERVOUS DISEASES were soon to be seen. By 1857, the business was in the hands of William H. Burnap (b. 1825), also of Lowell. By 1865, Burnap was working in New York City, and advertising as “Manufacturer of Davis & Kidder’s Electric Machines.”
label: Description
content: This magneto-electric machine—clearly based on the Davis & Kidder model—sits in a rectangular wood box with dovetailed corners but no brass fittings. The paper label is marked “IMPROVED / PATENT MAGNETO ELECTRIC MACHINE / FOR NERVOUS DISEASES.” Also, “FIRST PRIZE MEDAL / LONDON 1862” at lower left; and “SILVER MEDAL / PARIS 1878” at lower right. This was made by Joseph Gray & Co., a firm in Sheffield, England, that specialized in the manufacture of surgical instruments.
label: Location
content: Currently not on view
place: label: place made
content: United Kingdom: England, Sheffield
setName: label: See more items in
content: Medicine and Science: Medicine
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: National Museum of American History
identifier: label: ID Number
content: 1995.0288.01
label: catalog number
content: 1995.0288.01
label: accession number
content: 1995.0288
objectType: label: Object Name
content: electrotherapeutic apparatus
label: Object Name
content: machine, electromagnetic
physicalDescription: label: Measurements
content: overall: 5 3/4 in x 10 1/2 in x 4 13/16 in; 14.605 cm x 26.67 cm x 12.22375 cm