Weird Steam Punk science!

Let's talk Steampunk!

 What weird science was popular during the Victorian Era?

The Victorians had a penchant for turning new inventions into medical treatments. Electropathy involved using electricity to alleviate medical problems ranging from gout, muscular weakness, rheumatism and torpid liver to, you guessed it, hysteria. Essentially, patients paid to be given electrical shocks. Magnetism promised to relieve pain, grow hair, and cure a variety of complaints including indigestion. A notable quack device was the “electric corset,” actually powered by magnets.

Tools for espionage and detection gained some popularity in 19th-century Europe and America. The famed French criminalist Eugène François Vidocq invented many detective tools, including indelible ink and ballistics testing, and was known for using disguises and surveillance in his investigations. His methods inspired many aspiring detectives, including Allan Pinkerton, founder of the Pinkerton Detective Agency. The American Civil War was also a high time for espionage, with both sides employing whatever tools they could think of to gather and pass along intelligence undetected. On top of that, the later Victorian Era came with a number of clever gadgets and self-defense tools. While some of them never quite caught on, others were forerunners for devices we still use today.