1920s Allen And Hanburys Antique Medical Electrotherapy Appliance With Accessories
This wonderful piece of portable quackery is a 1920s Allen And Hanburys Antique Medical Electrotherapy Appliance With Accessories, contained within its own mahogany box with brass carry handle and two clasps.
A rare survivor, it will not pass modern Health and Safety standards and is sold as a collectible, for display only: it has not been tested.
The box is scuffed and blemished, and the brass is discoloured. It could probably be restored to a better shine if you're looking for a winter project but I didn't want to destroy the patina. There was probably a small key for locking the box but this is missing.
Approximate Box Size (WHD): 12.7 (5") x 13 x 12.7cm
There is a drawer on the side of the device which contains the probes and treatment heads. The drawer 'locks' once the lid is shut to ensure the contents stay secure during travel.
It even includes:-
- The original glass container for the liquid battery and electrodes: a conductive solution was added for generating electricity. The battery electrodes are held in place in the device via brass lever clasps
- Two mahogany treatment handles with leads
- Several treatment head attachments, which are covered in worn suede/leather.
Although it may look like something from a SciFi 'B' movie, a modern version of this is now available for treating a range of rheumatic and pain causing conditions.
The equipment is marked:-
There is no maker's mark or label but the device was made by Allen and Hanburys, or 'Allenburys' London, founded as a pharmacy in 1715 by Silvanus Bevan. A factory was built in Bethnal Green in 1874 and the company expanded to manufacture surgical appliances, medical equipment and dietary foods (e.g. cod liver oil). Eventually bought out by Glaxo in 1958, Allen and Hanburys continued into the 1970s.
A great vintage scientific curio for collectors of eclectic devices!
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