Wappler cabinet consists of an upright vertical wooden (a) carcass on wooden casters; bottom half of carcass contains a (b) drawer below which is a swinging door that opens into internal storage compartment; the upper front wall of carcass is covered in glass and supports a gage, a violet coloured …
Wappler cabinet consists of an upright vertical wooden (a) carcass on wooden casters; bottom half of carcass contains a (b) drawer below which is a swinging door that opens into internal storage compartment; the upper front wall of carcass is covered in glass and supports a gage, a violet coloured glass chamber suspended on two metal rods extending from each side, and a painted wooden disk with metal sphere wired with cord and wire; side of carcass has a mounted metal control box with a braker switch, a 'RHEOSTAT' control, 'FOOT SWITCH' and cloth-braided cables, two leading to coils inside cabinet and one ending in an electric plug; inside drawer and lower compartment are two sets of cloth-braided (c-d) conductive cables; (e) a wand with an outlet for a one pronged cable connector; (f) original drawer knob; (g) original cabinet door lock; (h) cylindrical conductor; (i) cloth-braided cord with metal eyelets on each end; (j) cut cloth-braided cord; (k-l) two sheets of rolled soft lead; (m-p) four large batteries containing liquid; (q) a metal file; (r) loose screws and hooks
Number Of Parts
18
Part Names
a - cabinet - Size: Length 129.0 cm x Width 62.0 cm x Depth 43.5 cm
b - drawer - Size: Length 41.5 cm x Width 41.2 cm x Depth 9.0 cm
c - conductive cable - Size: Length 122.5 cm x Diam 0.8 cm
d - conductive cable - Size: Length 156.5 cm x Diam 1.0 cm
e - wand - Size: Length 26.5 cm x Width 2.1 cm x Depth 2.0 cm
f - drawer knob - Size: Length 5.0 cm x Diam 2.5 cm
g - cabinet lock - Size: Length 7.5 cm x Width 5.4 cm x Depth 1.7 cm
h - cylindrical conductor - Size: Length 16.5 cm x Width 5.5 cm x Depth 2.6 cm
i - cloth-braided cord with eyelets - Size: Length 17.5 cm x Width 1.5 cm x Depth 0.5 cm
j - cut cloth-braided cord - Size: Length 48.5 cm x Diam 0.5 cm
k - rolled lead sheet - Size: Length 10.1 cm x Width 4.0 cm x Depth 2.4 cm
l - rolled lead sheet - Size: Length 37.5 cm x Width 7.3 cm x Depth 3.0 ccm
m-p - batteries - Size: Length 19.0 cm x Diam 12.0 cm
q - file - Size: Length 13.0 cm x Width 1.0 cm x Depth 1.0 cm
Date taken from dated Wappler wiring schematics found on a museum website
Material
wood: brown, black
metal: black, yellow, silver
glass: clear, purple
plastic: black, cream
fabric: black, brown, green
liquid: grey
Inscriptions
Embossed on metal plate affixed to cabinet side: "WAPPLER ELECTRIC Co. INC. // ELECTRO MEDICAL APPARATUS // NEW YORK, U.S.A. // VOLTS 110 CURRENT A.C. // AMP 6 NO. 60 CYL"; embossed on metal plate affixed to cabinet back: "WAPPLER ELECTRIC M.F.G. CO. INC // NEW YORK, U.S.A."; embossed on metal plates affixed to side of cabinet: "RHEOSTAT // COIL // CURRENT INLET // VOLTS 110 AC // FOOT SWITCH // H.F."; printed on gage: "WAPPLER ELECTRIC M.F.G. CO. INC. // NEW YORK // H.F.C. // MIL-AM-METER".
Permanent Location
Storage Room W1
W1-12-1
batteries: Storage Room 0007
Condition Remarks
Minor scratches on carcass exterior; carcass top has greasy stains; metal on gage, sphere and control box showing wear, scratches and oxidation in some areas; gage glass has scratches; cabinet interior is dusty and filthy; oxidation on original cabinet door lock; cloth-braided cords are stif but pliable and have minor fraying in several areas; lead metal sheets showing signs of oxidation; four liquid batteries are in glass jars and are potentially leaky, all four are corroding and a couple have substantial crystalizing chemical growths inside and around rims
Copy Type
Original
Reference Types
Book
Internet
JPG
Reference Comments
"High-Frequency Current" in "The People's Common Sense Advisor ", R.V. Pierce M.D, 1924, pp, 657-675 and p.918; Internet site "Turn of the Century Electrotherapy Museum, articles "Hogan Electrotherapeutic", "Currents of High Potential of High & Other Frequency", "Wappler Schematics", "Bleadon Dur Violet Rays As Applied with the Violetta"; Internet site "Collect Medical Antiques", section "Quack Medicine: Imagination Goes Wild"; CD #6.
Research Facts
Wappler Cabinet was a popular cure-all device in the beginning of the 20th century. Sometimes referred to as the High-Frequency Machine, it generated an electrical current which was administered to the affected area of the human body via conductive wands. This 'intra cellular massage' was deemed a beneficial health treatment which could cure a number of diverse afflictions such as neurasthenia and headache, as well as correct malnutrition, heal wounds and "purify the blood". The Wappler Cabinet was sometimes used together with a conductive electric chair in a treament called auto-condensation. In this procedure the patient sat on a chair lined with sheets of metal, sometimes with or without conductive metal spheres at armrests.