[Note: This page contains a description of two electrotherapeutic devices researched by the Meridian Institute.  The following excerpt comes from a book entitled, The Radial Appliance and Wet Cell Battery: Two Electrotherapeutic Devices Recommended by Edgar Cayce written by David McMillin, M.A. and Douglas G. Richards, Ph.D.  Copyright © 1994; used with permission; all rights reserved.]

BASIC DESCRIPTION OF THE RADIAL APPLIANCE AND WET CELL BATTERY
 
Electrotherapy is a fundamental therapeutic modality in the readings of Edgar Cayce.  Cayce's explanation of the importance of electricity in healing is that the body itself is an intricate electrical system.  Illness is often associated with imbalances or incoordination in the energy patterns of the body.  Treatment is aimed at correcting imbalance in the body so that the body's own natural healing processes can bring coordination and regeneration to the system.

Since many forms of electrotherapy were available during Edgar Cayce's career as a psychic diagnostician, he made use of a wide variety of commercial appliances and devices.  Yet by far, he most often recommended two appliances which were not part of mainstream medical practice.  In fact, the commercial manufacture and distribution of the Radial Appliance and Wet Cell Battery were initiated and sustained through the information provided in the Cayce material itself.  Modern versions of these appliances are still evolving in their design and application.  The purpose of this book is to provide basic information about using and building these appliances. This book discusses specific applications, but does not contain sufficient information for a treatment plan for any specific condition.

Picture 1 shows a basic Radial Appliance with the wire and disk components essential for its attachment to the body.  Although it looks like a battery, and was occasionally referred to as such in the readings, Edgar Cayce insisted that it produces no electrical energy of it own.  He said that it acts more like a magnet that draws energy from one part of the body and redistributes it to other parts.

According to the readings, placing the appliance in a nonmetallic container full of ice water for about 20 minutes prior to attachment to the body chills the carbon steel core of the appliance.  The steel core then becomes "electronized by ice or cold or water" (1800-4).  Acting as a "radio magnet" (1800-28), the appliance can then affect the body's energy system when attached at definite anatomical centers on the surface of the body.

On the other hand, the Wet Cell (Picture 2) is definitely an electrochemical battery which produces a measurable direct current (DC) output.  However, the strength of the battery is quite low.  Typically, the battery produces a DC voltage of about 1/50 the output of a common 1.5 volt flashlight battery.

As with the Radial Appliance, Cayce said that the Wet Cell Battery works with the "low" form of electrical energy or life force of the body.  The primary difference between the appliances is that the Wet Cell has a stronger effect on the body.  Thus the Wet Cell is used almost exclusively as a "curative" treatment for chronic and degenerative diseases whereas the Radial Appliance is most often utilized as a "preventative" measure with "curative" applications at times.

In the "preventative" mode, the Radial appliance can be used as a tool for stress management and as an aid to meditation.   Edgar Cayce said that it "would be good for EVERYBODY! ... This assists in keeping an EQUILIBRIUM.  Not that it is a curative, but it is CERTAINLY a PREVENTATIVE!" (202-7).   Used on a regular basis, the Radial Appliance can play an important role in a general health maintenance program.

The Wet Cell Battery is strictly a "curative" treatment. In other words, if the body is already seriously ill and in need of regeneration, the Wet Cell may be included as part of a comprehensive treatment plan.  Cayce seldom prescribed it as the sole therapeutic modality.  Physiotherapies including bodywork (such as massage and spinal adjustment), hydrotherapy, and diet were regarded as essential components in the integrated treatment plans recommended by Edgar Cayce. Cayce would also typically bring in the mental and spiritual aspects of healing when making referrals for the Wet Cell Battery.  In certain cases, he said that treatment with the Wet Cell Battery should not begin until some progress in the spiritual area had been achieved  (e.g., 3684-1, 4014-1, 4036-1, 5064-1).

The therapeutic possibilities of Cayce's comprehensive and integrated approach were enormous.  The readings stated that remarkable physical healing could be expected, even with extreme illness.  For example, in severe neurological disorders such as dementia, Cayce consistently maintained that the nervous system could be regenerated and that in some cases, the brain itself could be "rebuilt."  A later section will discuss some of the therapeutic principles and techniques involved in nervous system regeneration.

With this brief introduction to the appliances, it is easy to see why the Radial Appliance and Wet Cell Battery were so much preferred by Edgar Cayce.  They were regarded as relatively mild and safe and yet possessing tremendous therapeutic and preventative potential.