Dark Light: Electricity and Anxiety from the Telegraph to the X-ray

More than thirty years after Thomas Edison invented the light bulb, barely ten percent of American homes were wired for electricity. At the same time, electrotherapy emerged as a popular medical treatment for everything from depression to digestive problems. Why did Americans welcome electricity into their bodies, but not their homes? Today on Focus, Linda Simon joins us to talk about her new book Dark Light and its use of journalism and fiction to explore public anxiety and awe over electricity.

Guest: Linda Simon (Professor of English, Skidmore College; author of Dark Light: Electricity and Anxiety from the Telegraph to the X-ray)