Rack (torture)

The rack is a torture device. It consists of a rectangular, usually wooden frame, with a roller at one, or both, ends. The victim's feet are manacled to one roller, and the wrists are chained to the other. As the interrogation progresses, a handle and ratchet attached to the top roller is used to very gradually stepwise increase the tension on the chains, which induces excruciating pain as the victim's joints slowly dislocate.

It was used throughout Europe, being the chief instrument of torture in every dungeon. While both men and women were subjected to it equally in ancient times and the early Middle Ages, as the witch-hunts began to spread, the vast majority of its victims became female.

One gruesome aspect of being stretched on the rack are the loud popping noises made by snapping cartilage, ligaments or bones. Eventually, if the application of the rack is continued, the victim's limbs are ripped right off. One powerful method for putting pressure upon a prisoner was to merely force him to view someone else being subjected to the rack.

Well know victims of the rack include Guy Fawkes and Ann Askew in England, and Queen Brunhilda in France.

• See also the Hippocratic bench, an ancient device resembling a rack, but used for medical treatment.