Medical battery quack electroshock device by the George P Pillins and Son Co

Description

One of the earliest manufacturers of
medical instruments/devices within the United States was The George P Pilling
and Son company from Philadelphia.
They were the makers of fine medical
instruments in operation since 1814 -starting as a silversmith making cutlery and jewelry
but also accepting requests from surgeons for specialized equipment. Well known
for making endoscopic instruments they also produced the medical electrical
battery (as well as their boxes). The box is labelled as having been made in
23
rd
Arch St.
The company
moved to another street location on 1888, meaning that the manufacture of this
box happened sometime earlier. This device differs from medical electrical
batteries offered by other companies in that the ends of the induction coil are
capped with black square wooden blocks. A good specimen by one of the premier manufacturers of medical batteries.