Doctor's electrical machine (1819)

Post date: Mar 01, 2013 4:40:2 PM

In Derbyshire Record office (reference D239 M \E 13669) is a letter addressed to Mr. R^d Groombridge, West Farleigh as follows:

Sir,

Some time ago I had the misfortune to break the glass cylinder of my Electrical Machine as I understand you have got one which perhaps may not be of much use to you , if you would like to part with it, & if we can agree about price I should have no objection to buy it of you. Your answer will oblige,

?yours? John Hosmer

Wateringbury

? May? 4th 1819

The Hosmer family were a long standing Wateringbury family with significant property interests in the village and frequently acting as Churchwardens. John Hosmer's (1776 -1833) father (also John, 1750-1803) had become Wateringbury 's doctor in 1783 and he had been succeeded in 1803 by his son who wrote the above letter. In 1834 Henry Gould succeeded him as village doctor.

According to Wikipedia, Edward Nairne (born 1726 in Sandwich; died London 1806) patented several electrical machines, including an electrostatic generator consisting of a glass cylinder mounted on glass insulators; the device supplied either positive or negative electricity, and was intended for medicinal use. In the eighth edition of the instruction manual for this device he claimed that "electricity is almost a specific in some disorders, and deserves to be held in the highest estimation for its efficacy in many others". He recommended its use for nervous disorders, bruises, burns, scales, bloodshot eyes, toothache, sciatica, epilepsy, hysteria, agues and so on.