A rare late Victorian or Edwardian electro-medical panel for electric shock therapies Karl Friedrich Schall, London, circa 1900 With heavy black marble back panel applied with an arrangement of electrical components comprising three filament lightbulbs; a Milli Amp d'Arsonval galvometer; GALVANISATION and FARADISATION switches; sledge coil; three sets of switches including two mounted on green marble pads, and an induction coil incorporating sliding outer sleeve, electromagnetic vibrating pulse generator and with drawer containing containing various silk-bound wires and electrodes to the underside of the coil, the lower edge with ivorine button inscribed K. SCHALL, 35 G'T MARYLEBONE ST., LONDON W. flanked by brass output terminals, the apparatus set within a walnut glazed front case with line incised decorative crest over full-height front door, 82cm (32.25ins) high. Karl Friedrich Schall was born in 1859 at, Ohringen, German the son of the lawyer William Schall. From 1877 to 1879, he was in Tubingen as a university mechanic and apprenticed as a precision mechanic. During 1880-1881, Schall completed the mandatory one-year volunteer service in the military, and travelled to Paris, London and Switzerland. Schall became a British citizen in 1893. Prior to this Schall, through his operations within various partnerships in Germany, had become a specialist in the production of 'physical-mechanical' apparatus and had opened a factories (albeit only for a short time) in Stuttgart and New York. During the 1890's Schall became involved in the development of X-ray technology (mainly through his operations within the Erlangen partnership of Reiniger, Gebbert & Schall) whilst building his business at 55 Wigmore Street, London. By 1905 Schall had relocated to 35 Great Marylebone Street where he was based until he retired to Switzerland in 1912 leaving the business in the management of his son, William Schall. The present lot was designed to facilitate the administration of finely calibrated electric shock treatment including electroconvulsive therapy. A very similar instrument is illustrated in Schall's 1902 catalogue of ELECTRO-MEDICAL INSTRUMENTS (model number 1607A) where it is claimed that such machines had been supplied to numerous named hospitals. The very fine quality manufacture of the current instrument indicates that it was a 'flagship' model, hence would have most likely been supplied to a leading facility specialising in such treatments.