Keys to History

Therapeutic uses of electricity first emerged in the mid?19th century, but it was not until the 1890s that electrotherapy took hold in Canadian hospitals and small private clinics. Early practitioners had great hopes for the curative powers of this new energy.

Although some benefits were later recognized in the field of physiotherapy, many of the merits then claimed for electricity were grossly exaggerated. Doctors hailed it as a cure for tuberculosis, breast cancer, bronchitis, obesity and diabetes. One electrotherapy advocate maintained that he had treated a neurasthenic patient whose "nervous battery" had been drained by intellectual overwork.

Generally, however, the alleged benefits were limited to the therapy's invigorating, restorative and stimulating effects. Among the panoply of available treatments, one designed for well-off gentleman promised to restore manly vigour through low-voltage electrical stimulation of the genitals. This type of service was in great demand.

References
D. Goulet, "La promesse des ceintures électriques : la vigueur retrouvée," Cap-aux-Diamants, Aux pays des hommes forts, spring 2002, pp. 33-37.