Throwback Tech: Hair-raising medical equipment from the past

Throughout the ages, there have been many technical equipment contributions to the medical field that looked scarier than they actually were. From the critical lens of today’s standards, these devices look like they’d be fixtures in a sci-fi-type torture chamber. For this week’s Throwback Tech, let’s take a gander at some of the most petrifying-looking medical gear.

Pressure chamber

This pressure chamber was used by Winston Churchill to ensure his safety during high-altitude flights.

Bergonic chair

Patients returning from war with detrimental psychological effects would be treated with a Bergonic chair. This device gave an electrical treatment for patients with psycho-neurotic issues that stemmed from combat.

Children’s x-ray machine 

 
A gadget designed in 1957 to keep children still during x-rays.

Electro-retinogram

A contraption used to measure the electrical possibilities of the retina.

A post World War I flu mask, circa 1919

Brainwave measuring machine

A wire suit from 1900

Therapy x-ray machine

Used to treat cancer, this apparatus resembled a massive telescope.

Rotating cobalt machine

Optokinetic Drum

Portable respirator from 1955

Created in 1955, this respirator was used into the 1960s.

Ultraviolet light testing

Electrocardiograph

Electric Bath from 1900

Blood circulation stimulator

Patients would insert their legs into this enclosing machine to increase bodily circulation.

Positron Emission Tomography machine

Built at the Brookhaven National Laboratory, this device helped scientists study the brain