Halliwell-Shelton Violet Ray

Halliwell-Shelton Violet Ray Machine

1923 -- 1951

Gift from the Estate of Richard and Florence Towey

Patented on October 30, 1923, the Halliwell-Shelton Violet Ray High-Frequency Generator was advertised to solve many of the common mans health issues, ranging from boils to drowsiness to congestion. The glass rake on display in this exhibit could be removed and replaced by over 20 variously shaped nozels designed to target specific issues their consumers had. Violet rays like this were purchaseable by medical professionals as well as to the general public for personal use as well as medical.

While the violet ray and other sketchy devices from the early 20th century are thankfully no longer used today, their invention paved the way for modern day electrotherapeutic devices that aid in blood circulation (like pacemakers) or with muscle spasms.

Tools that made use of violet rays largely fell out of favor during the Great Depression due to their role being similar to a massager (a luxury good). Despite this, there were a few companies that continued to produce violet rays into the 1940s-50s, that is until they were subject to several lawsuits for allegedly causing several seizures after prolonged use! Recalls for violet rays and their destruction were ordered by the U.S. After this, many were turned over to the Food and Drug Administration as contraband, where they eventually met their demise. To this day, however, violet rays are still produced by companies outside of the U.S.