DescriptionEdison cautery batteries were specially designed to meet the large and increasing demand of physicians and surgeons for a reliable battery capable of furnishing a very heavy current for cautery work. The medical practice or technique of cautery is the burning of part of a body to remove or close off a part of it. The practice was once widespread for the treatment of wounds. Cautery’s utility before the advent of antibiotics was effective to stop severe blood-loss and to close amputations. The technique was historically believed to prevent infection, but current research shows that cautery actually increases the risk for infection by causing more tissue damage and providing a more hospitable environment for bacterial growth. Circa 1890, the Edison Manufacturing Company produced a catalog entitled Edison-Lalande Medical Batteries that describes cautery batteries and their accompanying instruments manufactured at the company’s Silver Lake factory in Orange, New Jersey.
NoteCover of catalog states: General office, 110 East Twenty Third Street, New York, Factory, Silver Lake, Orange, N.J.
CollectionRutgers University Libraries Special Collections General Resources
Organization NameRutgers University. Libraries. Special Collections and University Archives.
Organization NameRutgers University. Libraries. Special Collections
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