Domination & submission _ the BDSM relationship handbook ( PDFDrive )

physical, psychological, and sexual maladies. Eventually, the courts and the
FDA forbade the manufacture and sale of violet rays for medical use after
finding the makers’ claims of medical efficacy to be completely groundless.
Violet rays were allowed to be sold as skin and scalp treatments, neon light gasleak
detectors, and for purely aesthetic purposes, however. Sales of violet rays
diminished significantly and most of the companies that sold them either went
out of business or focused their efforts on supporting the WWII manufacturing
challenge. Several more decades would pass before they were rediscovered in
the 1990s by the fetish community, adapted for kink play, and rechristened
“violet wands.” By the way, if you’re at all interested, I’ve included at the end
of this chapter the tale of how I serendipitously became the proud owner of an
authentic 1922 Parco Super High Frequency Generator & Violet Ray.
Modern violet wands aren’t really much different from their violet ray
predecessors. The major differences include safer and more reliable electrical
components, the use of acrylics or safety glass, a wider and kinkier variety of
electrode attachments, and the ability to plug them into a wall socket. Most
violet rays were manufactured long before electrical wall sockets became
common in homes, therefore, users had to connect them to ceiling light fixtures
to power them. When wall sockets became more universal, most existing violet
ray owners clumsily spliced standard wall plugs onto their power cords, which
also explains why the power cords on most antique units that are still around
tend to look like the dog ate them.
If you are in the market for a modern violet wand, here are a few things to be on
the look-out for. The first should be the components included in the package
that you’re considering. Some violet wands are sold in such a way that you must
purchase all of the components individually. Components may include the wand
itself, standard or specialty electrodes, adapters or attachments, holsters, kits,
and cases. Other times, you may be offered starter kits, complete with a handydandy
case and/or an assortment of electrodes and attachments. Either way is
fine, as long as you understand what you’re getting for the price. Just be sure to
read the fine print. It can be pretty frustrating to receive your brand new violet
wand in the mail, only to learn that you can’t try it out because the electrodes
weren’t included in the purchase price.
Pay close attention to the interchangeability of electrodes and attachments.
There are several violet wand manufacturers, with new ones popping up all the