Museum of shady devices

“Monday’s Wall Street Journal clued us in to the existance of FDA-historians who catalogue and organize vintage medical devices â€â€? banished gems that had their FDA approval yanked or shady devices that the FDA slammed. Some such forgotten wonders are the â€Â?Hemorr-Iceâ€Â?, a refrigerated thumb-sized plastic cylinder to treat hemroids (ouch), the “Waist Whittlerâ€Â?, a squeezing belt for fat ladies of the 60’s, and “Acupuncture Pantsâ€Â?, underwear with embedded magnets to supposedly increase male potency. Some devices were actually dangerous like the “Shoe Fluoroscope,â€Â? pictured right, which was used by shoe stores to x-ray (radiate) customer’s feet.”

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