Answer to Question #1526 Submitted to "Ask the Experts"

Q

I am looking for information on a device slightly larger than a shoebox that was used years ago for medical treatment. The device is called a "Ray and Radiation Instrument" and was made by Larlyn Company with a date of October 27, 1942. The company address was 2103 W. Vernon Ave., Los Angeles, 37, Calif. The patent number for the device was 2300008. My grandfather originally got this device from a doctor and had handed it down to my mother when he died. My mother has used it from time to time over many years, mostly for minor aches and pains in joints and muscles. The device has a glass tube on the top that coils around, much like the tube on a neon sign. The instructions on the device say to place your hands, or feet, on the tube for two to four separate 15-minute periods per day, but not to exceed more than 15 minutes in any hour, or more than one hour in any given day. Unfortunately, my mother (now in her early 70s), became sick with shingles a few months ago and has been in considerable pain. Then one day she tried the device, and within a couple of minutes she was virtually cured and pain free. This was after six weeks of doctor visits and having exhausted most all pain medication which did very little to help. For the past 40 years, my mother has sworn by this device, although she has never known how or why it works, or what harmful side effects it may cause. I have searched for information on this device, but haven't found a thing. I'm looking for any and all the information that I can get. What the device is, what it was intended to do, how it works, how much radiation does it dish out, any harmful side effects, etc.

A

Correction to the following answer This device referred to in the question appears to be a quartz ozone generator, not a violet ray generator as first thought when the below answer to this question was prepared. The photo now shown is the ozone generator. The tubing is quartz, which transmits ultraviolet radiation from a mercury vapour arc. The ultraviolet radiation also turns (about 20%) of the oxygen (O₂) in the air into ozone (O₃). See the sections of Jeff Behary's Web site under Rays and Radiation... for ultraviolet ozone lamps/etc. Paul Frame, CHP, PhD Original Answer The device you are referring to is variously known as a Violet Ray Generator, Violet Ray machine, Ultra Violet device, etc. It also falls under the category of diathermy, and high frequency generator. An Internet search using these key words will be rewarded with a plethora of information. The versions sold for personal use, like your mother's, were very popular from about 1910 to 1950 or so. Believe it or not, they are still manufactured today. Much more sophisticated versions were, and still are, used by the medical establishment. Even so, the unit you have described would typically fall into the category of quack medicine. In essence, the unit employs a high frequency coil (often described as a Tesla coil) to supply a small current of high voltage to a gas-filled tube. These tubes came in various shapes, each intended to conform to a particular part of the body. The tubes (actually geissler tubes) usually contained argon and gave off a purple glow. The cures (for skin disorders, rheumatic pain, etc.) attributed to these devices presumably were brought about by the ultraviolet light they emitted. It was also claimed that they had a heating effect and as such are sometimes described as diathermy devices. Of course there is a potential electrical hazard associated with these units. If it is going to be used, at the very least make sure that the wires and connections are in good condition. This image was made available courtesy of the Jeff Behary Electrotherapy Museum. Paul Frame, CHP, PhD