Yes, the electroshock machine is real...

And I found it on eBay via Wired. (screenshot of the original article above)

Back in 2007, before I'd even started writing THE FOREST'S SON, Boing Boing found a listing for an Edwardian home-grown electroshock machine. 

Because I'm weird, I saved the link. When I was looking for some odd ways Vance/Jakub could be erasing his memories, I went right back to this. (Then bugged Lauren of Christina Lauren for her science knowledge when it came to drugs that might be available on the street to go along with it.) Obviously, it's pseudo-science, but at least it's a close approximation of something that might be theoretically possible.

Part II of THE FOREST'S SON is available now!