"The blood is the life!" Accomplished at last! The efficacy of electricity!! : Nearly all diseases effectually cured by Boyd's Miniature Galvanic Battery!
[ New York, N. Y. ]: [ J. C. Boyd ] [1880]. First Edition. 3 7/8 x 6 1/2 inches. 342 pages. Original green pebbled thin leather binding. "Boyd's Battery" in gilt on the front cover, spine blank. Front and rear endpaper have cutouts pasted over what appear to be previous owner notes or markings. Second owner's name "Lewis J. Warner" stamped on front endpaper. Partially unopened. Very Good. Limp leather. [23053]
Boyd marketed a "battery" that one would wear around one's neck as a pendant, next to the skin. It's appearance is like a slice through a piece of cable, with different types of metal being the different strands in the pendant. The "title page" contains a cut that is the actual size of the battery offered. This handbook is entirely full of personal testimonials for the product, which is remarkable when you think about the cost to produce these. Scarce, with only 6 copies of this book in OCLC/Worldcat as of this writing noted as either the 1879 or 1880 edition. The two "editions" are likely just one - while the copyright page shows 1879, there are multiple letter testimonials with the date 1880 inside. "Thousands of persons cured of distressing maladies by wearing Professor Boyd's Miniature Galvanic Battery." (p. 14). An interesting study, because assuming the contents are real testimonials, this would provide an interesting window into the distribution of Boyd's Battery, perhaps the most common of these devices from the period.
ITEM SOLD