Davis & Kidder medical magneto machine
date: label: date made
content: ca 1856
name: label: maker
content: Davis & Kidder
notes: label: Description (Brief)
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, with testimonials from three Americans involved with science: Benjamin Silliman at Yale College, Charles G. Page in Washington, D.C., and James R. Chilton, an instrument dealer in New York City. These machines were “MANUFACTURED BY W. KIDDER, Sole Proprietor, whose signature is attached to all genuine Machines.”
label: Description (Brief)
content: This early example has a wood box with brass corners (per the earlier patent) and ivory handle. The top of the box is marked “MANFD BY W. KIDDER PATENT APR 1854.” The brass frame of the instrument is stamped “PATENTED BY A. DAVIS AUG 1 1854” and “MANUFACTURED SOLELY BY W. KIDDER LOWELL MASS.” The rotating coil is stamped “KIDDER.” The paper label inside the lid is marked “DAVIS & KIDDER’S / PATENT MAGNETO-ELECTRIC MACHINE / FOR NERVOUS DISEASES” and “EATON BROS GENERAL AGENTS – N.Y.” “Walter Kidder” is written in ink.
label: Location
content: Currently not on view
setName: label: See more items in
content: Work and Industry: Electricity
creditLine: label: Credit Line
content: from Columbia University, Department of Physics, thru Alvin P. Tramm
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: National Museum of American History
identifier: label: ID Number
content: EM.322949
label: accession number
content: 249200
label: catalog number
content: 322949
objectType: label: Object Name
content: magneto
label: Object Name
content: magneto generator
physicalDescription: label: Measurements
content: overall: 4 1/2 in x 9 1/2 in x 4 1/2 in; 11.43 cm x 24.13 cm x 11.43 cm