ANTIQUE NO. 1 KEYSTONE DRY CELL BATTERY WOODEN BOX WHITALL, TATUM & CO.

Description: 20+ Photographs throughout Ad: Offered for auction is Very Rare Antique Wood Dry Cell Medical Battery Box as defined below. ANTIQUE NO. 1 KEYSTONE DRY CELL BATTERY WOOD BOX BY WHITALL TATUM & CO. as noted inside on the antique box label. The box measures 7 ¾ inches in height, 5 5/8th inches in width and 8 ½ inches in length. The latches on the box function. On the inside of the wooden box top is a latch which must have held a mirror not present. The Dry Cell battery—more commonly known as a “medical battery”—was a simple shock-producing device which this wooden box contained when manufactured. Whitall, Tatum & Co. was located in New York, Philadelphia and Boston as noted on tag inside the wooden case. As photos show the box is empty and for sale is the Wooden Box Exterior. The No. 1 Keystone Antique Wooden Case is as I received it from an antique sale. The Exterior of the box is complete as photos will show. The finish is varied as photos will also show. Appears to have never been refinished as photos will also show. Pictures have been taken in a variety of background, indoors and out in direct sun light. On the inside as photos will show are 3 green possibly paint lines, possibly from a battery discharge of some type of paint as noted above. Those paint marks can be removed. On the open front rim edge as photos will show is impressed “No. 1 Keystone, Whitall Tatum & Co. and possible the number 214 as serial number of the No. 1 Keystone Box.” Please view photos for condition of this quite rare Medical Battery Box. This is the items you will receive as photographed. Below a brief history of Whitall, Tatum & Co. and Medical Battery Devices. WHITALL, TATUM & CO: The Whitall Tatum Company or Whitall Tatum (1806–1938) was one of the first glass factories in the United States. Located in Millville, New Jersey, it was in operation from 1806 through 1938. The location was ideal for making glass because silica-based sand is plentiful in southern New Jersey, the Maurice River flowing through Millville provided a source of water, and plentiful forests provided energy for industrial processes. The Millville glass works was founded by James Lee and went through several changes of ownership. In 1838, John M. Whitall became a partner in the business. He lived in Philadelphia and worked at the company's headquarters there. In 1845, after his brother Israel Franklin Whitall joined, the firm became Whitall, Brother & Company. Later, Edward Tatum also joined the partnership and in 1857 the name was again changed to Whitall Tatum & Company as noted on the tag inside the box and changed in 1901 to Whitall Tatum Company. I.F. Whitall and Edward Tatum headed the company after John M. Whitall retired in 1865, and the ownership was passed to their descendants. THE MEDICAL BATTERY: The battery—more commonly known as a “medical battery”—was a simple shock-producing device, consisting of a battery and an iron core encased in a wooden box as shown in photos. Most medical batteries were approximately the size of a shoebox, though “pocket” medical batteries could be as small as a paperback book and high-end medical batteries with extra features could be as large as a carry-on suitcase. They usually provided both direct and alternating current and were used to administer low levels of electrical stimulation to the body to treat a variety of diseases. For physicians interested in electrotherapeutics, the medical battery was often the entry-level device offered in an electromedical instrument catalogue. But medical batteries were also sold directly to the public by electric novelty and supply companies, individual instrument makers, and even companies that manufactured medical instruments for physicians. For Rockwell, the public’s use of the medical battery undermined the notion of electricity as a serious scientific and medical technique that required years of training and expertise. This information came from an article on the internet by Anna Wexler as noted below. The Medical Battery in the United States (1870–1920): Electrotherapy at Home and in the Clinic Anna Wexler "> Please view photos for condition. I accept personal check, bank check and money orders and Paypal. I will hold personal check for a few days to clear prior to shipping. I will ship Priority Mail insured at $13.95.

Price: 34.95 USD

Location: Gorham, Maine

End Time: 2024-11-18T00:27:03.000Z

Shipping Cost: 13.95 USD