Dr. Samuel Howard Monell was a vigorous supporter of electrotherapy, claiming that just about every disease, from acne to serious internal diseases, could be cured by electrotherapy. To support his theory he published an account of a boy who was reportedly frail as an infant but grew up healthy thanks to this device. The device featured in this picture conducts electric currents; its barrel, no larger than a modern curling iron, could be plugged into any light bulb socket.