Gymnasticon
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The Gymnasticon was an early exercise machine resembling a stationary bicycle, invented in 1796 by Francis Lowndes. Its function was to exercise the joints, either "in all parts of the body at once, or partially."[1]
The Gymnasticon emerged from the newly developed science of orthopedics, originated by Nicolas Andry in 1741.[2] It was an early example of a series of new technologies in gymnastics that would lead to the development of physical therapy in the nineteenth century.[2]
Lowndes, the device's inventor, had previously established himself as an authority on medical electricity, the use of electricity as a therapy for both disease and injury. His book Observations on Medical Electricity, published in 1787, contained descriptions of a number of cases "in which electricity has either cured the disease, or given great relief."[3]
