Electric cures appealed to customers in the late nineteenth and early twentieth century because they represented the newest technology. Dr. Scott heavily marketed his electric toothbrushes, hair brushes, corsets, insoles, and other products in newspapers, magazines, and by direct mail. His products actually contained magnets, not electric current. He claimed his devices could cure nearly every ailment of both men and women. Note the message in the bottom left corner of this image. The belt was promoted as safer than medications taken internally “Away with physics and quack nostrums.” Physics were “cleansing” medications causing patients to vomit or empty the bowels.
Courtesy of U. S. National Library of Medicine
Image featured in Discovering Quacks, Utopias, and Cemeteries: Modern Lessons from Historical Themes by Cynthia Resor