Quackatorium. Fraudulent Medical Devices. Quackery.
Strange Medical Devices. Quack Medicine Devices. Snake Oil. Patent Medicine. Phrenology.

Collect Quack Medical Devices and Antiques

Collect Medical Antiques "... As long as there has been disease, there have been those who have taken it upon themselves to find cures, whether it be by herbs and incantations, or by the latest genetically engineered and scientifically proven therapies. However, there has always been room for sorcerers and charlatans since there is always disagreement on what works and what doesn't, what is quackery and what is not Many techniques come in and out of vogue, all awaiting the type of carefully controlled scientific investigation that was first suggested by William Harvey in his landmark masterpiece "De Motu Cordis" in 1628. The line between quackery and cure has always been blurred and remains so today...."

Strange Medical Devices and Quackery Museums

Museum of Questionable Medical Devices "Devious Displays of Quackery, Fraud, Deceit and Deception -- the largest collection of medical chicanery and mayhem ever assembled under one roof... "... collection of the hilarious, horrifying, and preposterous medical devices that have been foisted upon the public in their quest for good health. Includes the Prostate Gland Warmer, Phrenology Machine, Recto Rotor, Nose Straightener, Wonder Electro Marvel, and hundreds of other quack devices. With period advertisements, promotional literature, and gadget instructions, this book offers a wealth of past-and-present medical fraud..."

Jeff Behari's Turn of the Century Electrotherapy Museum "Be prepared to be shocked.... In a time when X-rays were used to treat common illness and Radium water was as popular as Perrier... ...Before electrical outlets and electric toasters... there were so-called 'quack medical' devices practically unheard of today --Some of which were VITAL in the development of modern scientific, medical, and electrical apparatus. Many of these devices have yet to be utilized to their fullest potential... ...And, well, others are pure quackery at it's best!...."

Kansas Museum of History "... Quacks are con artists who pretend to have medical training, and quackery is their line of work. Before medicine became grounded in science, its practitioners received little or no training and it was relatively easy for charlatans to operate unimpeded. As the profession advanced and researchers learned much more about the body, though, rigorous training and licensing standards developed. Nowadays, governmental agencies regulate medical practitioners and keep a close watch on pharmaceuticals. One such regulatory agency is the Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE). In the 1950 and '60s its inspectors seized many examples of counterfeit medical equipment and medicines. KDHE used the confiscated items in public programs before eventually transferring them to the Society's Kansas Museum of History. This collection also includes bust developers, muscle stimulators, pills, pumps, and other devices. Although nearly every piece in the collection is remarkable in its own way, these three are notable for the extravagant claims made by the quacks who promoted them.... "

Medical Quakery and Fraudulent
Scientific Devices

American Artifacts: Scientific Medical and Mechanical Antiques including The Electronic Reactions of Dr. Abrams; The Radio Disease Killer; Dr. Scott's Electric Brushes; Galvanic Dumbbells; Galvanic Spectacles; The Theronoid; Quack Eye Massagers

Phrenology

Articles on Medical Fraud and Quackery

How People are Fooled by Ideomotor Action "...This "influence of suggestion in modifying and directing muscular movement, independently of volition" was given the label ideomotor action by the psychologist/physiologist William B. Carpenter in 1852. Later the concept was more widely publicized by the Harvard physician-turned-psychologist William James [5]. Carpenter wanted to show that a variety of currently popular phenomena had conventional scientific explanations rather than the widely believed supernatural ones. The phenomena he tackled included dowsing ("water witching"), the magic pendulum, certain aspects of mesmerism, spiritualists' "table turning," and Reichenbach's "Odylic force."..."