Wartenberg wheel - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

A Wartenberg wheel, also called a Wartenberg pinwheel or Wartenberg neurowheel, is a medical device

Medical device

A medical device is a product which is used for medical purposes in patients, in diagnosis, therapy or surgery . Whereas medicinal products achieve their principal action by pharmacological, metabolic or immunological means. Medical devices act by other means like physical, mechanical, thermal,...

for neurological use. It was originally designed by Dr Robert Wartenberg

Robert Wartenberg

Robert Wartenberg was an American neurologist.Wartenberg was born in 1886 in Grodno, Belarus, then in the Russian Empire. He graduated from the University of Rostock, Germany in 1919. He worked with Max Nonne in Hamburg and Otfrid Foerster in Breslau. In 1933, he became head of the neurological...

to test nerve

Nerve

A peripheral nerve, or simply nerve, is an enclosed, cable-like bundle of peripheral axons . A nerve provides a common pathway for the electrochemical nerve impulses that are transmitted along each of the axons. Nerves are found only in the peripheral nervous system...

reactions (sensitivity

Stimulus (physiology)

In physiology, a stimulus is a detectable change in the internal or external environment. The ability of an organism or organ to respond to external stimuli is called sensitivity....

) as it rolled systematically across the skin

Skin

-Dermis:The dermis is the layer of skin beneath the epidermis that consists of connective tissue and cushions the body from stress and strain. The dermis is tightly connected to the epidermis by a basement membrane. It also harbors many Mechanoreceptors that provide the sense of touch and heat...

. A Wartenberg wheel is generally made of stainless steel

Stainless steel

In metallurgy, stainless steel, also known as inox steel or inox from French "inoxydable", is defined as a steel alloy with a minimum of 10.5 or 11% chromium content by mass....

with a handle of approximately seven inches in length. The wheel

Wheel

A wheel is a device that allows heavy objects to be moved easily through rotating on an axle through its center, facilitating movement or transportation while supporting a load, or performing labor in machines. Common examples found in transport applications. A wheel, together with an axle,...

, which has evenly spaced radiating sharp pins, rotates around as it is rolled across the flesh. A disposable plastic

Plastic

A plastic material is any of a wide range of synthetic or semi-synthetic organic solids used in the manufacture of industrial products. Plastics are typically polymers of high molecular mass, and may contain other substances to improve performance and/or reduce production costs...

version is available. Because of hygienic concerns, these devices are hardly used any more.

The Wartenberg wheel is also used as a sex toy

Sex toy

A sex toy is an object or device that is primarily used to facilitate human sexual pleasure. The most popular sex toys are designed to resemble human genitals and may be vibrating or non-vibrating...

Further reading