Rarely does watching a video turn me into the equivalent of a court stenographer, but this tour of The Museum of Questionable Medical Devices, hosted by Bob McCoy, had me scribbling madly as one outrageous contraption after another was paraded before my incredulous eyes. Where to begin? I was pretty darn impressed by the Prostate Gland Warmer, an uncomfortably rigid looking prod that was said to rev up "the male abdominal brain." And I liked the concept behind the Solorama Bed Board, which had the power to regenerate missing organs and limbs with invisible sun rays while you slept. The Radioactive Athletic Supporter seemed to be a more likely candidate for sex offenders than a health aid, and the Crosley XerVac, which vacuumed your head to stimulate hair growth looked more conducive to generating headaches. Ranging from the early 18th-century to the present day, the "medical" devices presented in this amusing and amazing tour of humanity's quest for the quick fix in health will offer great food for party chit-chat well into the year. Highly recommended. Editor's Choice. Aud: P. (R. Pitman)
Quackery Gallery
(1996) 33 min. $9.95. Greatapes Video. PPR. Color cover. Vol. 12, Issue 2
Quackery Gallery
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