How wonderful it would be to have a device that cured every disease!
That is exactly what the Oxydonoor, purported to do. Invented in the 1890s by Dr. Hercules Sanche, and released to the general public in 1896, the Oxydonor consisted of a nickel plated tube containing a stick of carbon with wires leading from it to electrodes attached to a metal contact pad. The user of the device would put the tube in a bowl of water, attach the metal plate to a wrist or ankle, then lie in bed while the Oxydonor did its work. The colder the water, the more effective the treatment, according to Dr. Sanche.
How did the Oxydonor cure all diseases except for those that were terminal? By forcing oxygen through
the skin into the body, of course. People of the era did not understand that oxygen could only enter the body through the lungs.
The device was said to stimulate nerves and increase blood flow as the oxygen levels in the body increased which, in turn, cured diseases. Dr. Sanche stated that his device was so effective that it would soon take the place of doctors.
Guess what? It didn’t work.
Guess what else? Dr. Sanche wasn’t really a doctor. He was a businessman who devised a field of medicine called diaduction. He believed that an undercurrent connected all natural organisms, and a disruption of that current created illness. Oxygen, he believed, could restore the disruption of the natural current, thus the Oxydonor. He moved frequently to stay one step ahead of the authorities as the complaints rolled in, but continued to market his device and to warn the general public against imitators.
In 1915 a fraud order was issued against him in New York, and he was sentenced to 18 months in jail. He avoided shutting down operations after that by moving to Montreal Canada, where he continued to market his device until the 1950s.
If you are interested in trying Dr. Sanche’s miracle device, you can pick one up on eBay. There are several listed there.
