A classic case of the cure being worse than the disease. A device seemingly intended to shake people to the point where their skeletons decide not to reside within their skins.

In times before paved roads were invented, roads crossing boggy or marshy areas had logs laid across them side-by-side in an attempt to prevent horse-drawn carriages from getting stuck in the mud:

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Unfortunately the hard, rough surface presented often caused considerable damage to both the carriage and its occupants and roads with corduroy sections were often avoided, even at great cost in time and distance.

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