This is a great example of turn-of-the-century medical quackery. Collectors love this kind of stuff, and this set is in excellent shape.
-Expert
Facts[]
- Fact 1: Violet ray devices were used in electrotherapy, a popular pseudoscience at the turn of the 20th century, which sought to cure disease through light exposure.
- Fact 2: The first violet ray machine was presented by famed inventor Nikola Tesla at the World's Fair in 1893.
- Fact 3: Violet ray devices send charged plasma through glass tubes to the skin, causing a tingling sensation. The same technique is used in modern plasma-ball toys.
- Fact 4: Though banned in the United States, violet rays and other electrotherapy devices are still manufactured and used in parts of Europe.
- Fact 5: The last American violet ray machines were manufactured by Master Electric in 1951. They were seized and destroyed by the FDA.