Illustrated catalogue of electro-medical instruments : manufactured and sold by Thomas Hall, successor to Palmer & Hall, electrician, manufacturer and importer of magnetic galvanic, and telegraphic instruments.

  • Hall, Thomas
Date:
1861
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Illustrated catalogue of electro-medical instruments : manufactured and sold by Thomas Hall, successor to Palmer & Hall, electrician, manufacturer and importer of magnetic galvanic, and telegraphic instruments. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by the Francis A. Countway Library of Medicine, through the Medical Heritage Library. The original may be consulted at the Francis A. Countway Library of Medicine, Harvard Medical School.

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    PREFACE TO CATALOGUE. The manufacturing of Magnetic and Galvanic Instru- ments was first commenced in this country by Mr. Daniel Davis, Jr., in the year 1836. Previous to that time, all the Galvanic Instruments used in this country were imported from Europe. Mr. Davis, having had an old induction coil to repair, saw the principle upon which it acted, and made one for amusement, with some improvement upon the one he repaired. He found a ready sale for it. This induced him to engage in the manufacture of them. At that time they were very rough and inconvenient instruments, com- pared with those we now make. They were very seldom used for medical purposes. The mode of breaking the cur- rent was by means of a ratchet placed on the top or by the side of the coil. This was a great objection to them for medical purposes, as the shocks came very irregularly; this was remedied by the invention and adoption of the vibrat- ing armatures in connection with the secondary coils con- trived by ]Mr. Davis. It is now universally used for this purpose both in this country and Europe. By this in- genious arrangement the instruments are self-operating, and the current is extremely fine. Making induction coils led to making models for motive powerj and various pieces of apparatus to illustrate galvanism and electro-magnetism. The adoption of this branch of physical science in our col- leges and schools created a constant demand for this class of instruments, so that we now manufacture over five hun- dred distinct instruments adapted to this branch of studies.