Description

• In the late 19th to early 20th Century, electro-therapy in the form of personal belts was marketed as a cure-all in much the same way snake-oil merchants had plied their trade. Ailments cured include Railroad Back, Rheumatism, Sciatica, Dyspepsia & Constipation, whilst also claiming To Keep Up Your Vital Energy
• With numerous b&w illustrations, many of which depict grand frontages of supposed Dr McLaughlin Co offices across the world [most certainly fake] & a section devoted exclusively to women
• Notice pasted to front advises the closure of branches in Melbourne, Perth, Brisbane & Wellington “…to submit all cases to the attention of our most expert Specialists here in Sydney…”
• Dr McLaughlin Co was an American firm [although purportedly with branches across the globe] which promoted seven models of electric belt. [A common feature on models 3-7 appears to be “non-blistering electrodes”, but note, this feature does not appear on models 1&2!]
• Australasian Promotional Booklet [Dr McLaughlin Company, 1901]; 94 pages; cloth-covered card, illustrated with goddess-like woman wrestling a lion,marked, somewhat mottled, cloth fraying, notice pasted to front, chipped & stained, endpapers stained, otherwise excellent but a good copy only