Electreat
notes: label: Description
content: The Electreat electrotherapeutic machine was patented in 1919 by Charles W. Kent (b. 1874), of Peoria, Ill., and sold widely around the country. Federal agents seized several Electreats in 1941; noted that they consisted of flashlight batteries, a small electrical coil and buzzers, and attachments for applying electricity to various parts of the body; and argued successfully in federal court that the items were misbranded under the auspices of the Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act. Another federal court found a discrepancy between the machine and the hype in 1950.
label: Description
content: Ref: Charles W. Kent, “Electric Massage-Machine,” U.S. Patent 1,305,725 (June 3, 1919).
label: Description
content: Morris Fishbein, “Medical Hucksters,” The Atlanta Constitution (July 25, 1948), pp. SM16-SM17.
label: Description
content: “Convict Maker of Device Held Noncurative,” Chicago Tribune (Sept. 22, 1950), p. A6.
label: Location
content: Currently not on view
place: label: place made
content: United States: Illinois, Peoria
label: associated place
content: United States: Virginia, Annandale
setName: label: See more items in
content: Medicine and Science: Medicine
creditLine: label: Credit Line
content: Verna E. Smith
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: National Museum of American History
identifier: label: ID Number
content: 1984.0828.01
label: catalog number
content: 1984.0828.01
label: accession number
content: 1984.0828
label: catalog number
content: 1984.0828.01.1-3
objectType: label: Object Name
content: electrotherapeutic device
label: Other Terms
content: Electrotherapy
physicalDescription: label: Physical Description
content: metal, chromium (overall material)
label: Physical Description
content: wood (overall material)
label: Physical Description
content: fabric, cotton (overall material)
label: Physical Description
content: metal (overall material)
label: Physical Description
content: black (overall color)
label: Physical Description
content: beige (overall color)
label: Measurements
content: overall: 21.8 cm x 5.4 cm x 4.5 cm; 8 19/32 in x 2 1/8 in x 1 25/32 in