Electrotherapy was very popular from the late 1800s until the 1930s as a means to prevent and treat a variety of ailment. This is used much differently than the devices used for electro-convulsive therapy in the these were designed to work primarily physical rather than mental ailments. It is unclear wether there were any actual medical results from using these devices, although looking at many modern technologies based on similar principles it is possible. The main reason they became as popular as the did at the time is that they were portable and small enough that anyone could store one in their own home. Almost anyone could get ahold of one of these devices (so long as they could afford it) through popular catalogues such as Sears Roebuck. It is said that the device was eventualy forced off the market by the American Medical Association during the 1930's because medical professionals found that pills were more profitable. If a doctor continued to use devices like this he risked being called a quack by the medical community and would face the possibility of losing their license. Despite the fact that they are no longer used in the United States many similar devices are still used worldwide.
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