On February 24, 1885, U.S. Patent No.: 312,948 issued to Thomas Emory Atkinson for "Apparatus for Rectifying Spirits and Spiritous Liquors by Electricity". The patent is interesting because of the conundrum it presents: is it simply a historical relic of a bygone era of quackery or does it disclose a valid technology that is still relevant today?
The '948 patent discloses an apparatus for aging and rectifying liquor using electrolysis. Although not disclosed in the patent, the liquor is most likely whiskey. The apparatus includes a pair of electrodes disposed in a tank containing the liquor to be treated. Each electrode includes a carbon rod B partially inserted into a socket formed in a plank A of hardwood, such as oak or hickory. Each plank A has a series of laterally-extending passages extending therethrough and is covered with canvas having holes aligned with the passages. The entire outer surfaces of the planks A are charred. The carbon rods B are connected to a source of electricity, such as a battery, which passes electrical current from one electrode to the other. The patent describes the effect of the current on the liquor: "[t]he current, in passing from one electrode to the other through the liquor, imparts to the liquor the flavor of the oak or hickory or other wood of which the electrodes are made. The impurities contained by the liquor are precipitated by the current, and the germs of ferment are destroyed by contact with the charred surface of the wood."
At the time of the '948 patent, electricity was a relatively new phenomenon that was not well understood by the public at large. Indeed, the public viewed electricity as being a magical force that could impart special properties to objects. The quacks and hucksters who made and sold patent medicines were quick to take advantage of the public's interest in electricity and their ignorance of how it worked. They sold patent medicines that were allegedly treated with electricity to imbue the medicines with special properties that could cure all types of maladies. These patent medicines became so pervasive that they became known as electric liniments. Examples of electric liniments that were sold include "Electricity in a Bottle", "Hager's Electric Relief" and "Brewster's Medicated Electricity".
Electric liniments were marketed and sold well into the 20th century, until people became more accustomed to electricity and the federal government made a concerted effort to crack down on patent medicines. By the mid 1930's, most patent medicines, including electric liniments, were no longer marketed and sold in the U.S.
So, was the apparatus of the '948 patent simply an extension of the quackery associated with electric liniments, or was it something more? In the late 1800s and early 1900's, serious consideration was given to rectifying liquor using electrolysis. However, it never caught on because it was considered impractical and much inferior to other processes. The idea did not die, though. Today, with the proliferation of craft distillers, the use of electrolyis to speed up the aging of whiskey is again being touted. Since the production of whiskey is as much an art as a science, perhaps the technology of the '948 patent is still relevant today.
The '948 patent discloses an apparatus for aging and rectifying liquor using electrolysis. Although not disclosed in the patent, the liquor is most likely whiskey. The apparatus includes a pair of electrodes disposed in a tank containing the liquor to be treated. Each electrode includes a carbon rod B partially inserted into a socket formed in a plank A of hardwood, such as oak or hickory. Each plank A has a series of laterally-extending passages extending therethrough and is covered with canvas having holes aligned with the passages. The entire outer surfaces of the planks A are charred. The carbon rods B are connected to a source of electricity, such as a battery, which passes electrical current from one electrode to the other. The patent describes the effect of the current on the liquor: "[t]he current, in passing from one electrode to the other through the liquor, imparts to the liquor the flavor of the oak or hickory or other wood of which the electrodes are made. The impurities contained by the liquor are precipitated by the current, and the germs of ferment are destroyed by contact with the charred surface of the wood."
At the time of the '948 patent, electricity was a relatively new phenomenon that was not well understood by the public at large. Indeed, the public viewed electricity as being a magical force that could impart special properties to objects. The quacks and hucksters who made and sold patent medicines were quick to take advantage of the public's interest in electricity and their ignorance of how it worked. They sold patent medicines that were allegedly treated with electricity to imbue the medicines with special properties that could cure all types of maladies. These patent medicines became so pervasive that they became known as electric liniments. Examples of electric liniments that were sold include "Electricity in a Bottle", "Hager's Electric Relief" and "Brewster's Medicated Electricity".
Electric liniments were marketed and sold well into the 20th century, until people became more accustomed to electricity and the federal government made a concerted effort to crack down on patent medicines. By the mid 1930's, most patent medicines, including electric liniments, were no longer marketed and sold in the U.S.
So, was the apparatus of the '948 patent simply an extension of the quackery associated with electric liniments, or was it something more? In the late 1800s and early 1900's, serious consideration was given to rectifying liquor using electrolysis. However, it never caught on because it was considered impractical and much inferior to other processes. The idea did not die, though. Today, with the proliferation of craft distillers, the use of electrolyis to speed up the aging of whiskey is again being touted. Since the production of whiskey is as much an art as a science, perhaps the technology of the '948 patent is still relevant today.