Electricity in medicine

✍ Scribed by Allen Harrison

• Book ID: 103090201
• Publisher: Elsevier Science
• Year: 1885
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 549 KB
• Volume: 119
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0016-0032
• DOI: 10.1016/0016-0032(85)90412-0

✦ Synopsis

BY HARRISON AI, LEN~ M. D.

[Abstracts from a lecture on the subject of" Electricity in Medicine," de.livered at the International Electrical Exhibition, Tuesday evening, September 30, 1884.]

[The lecture, as originally delivered before the International Electrical Exhibition, included a general resum6 of the applications of electricity to the study of the phenomena of life, and especially to the practice of medicine. Of necessity a subject so comprehensive when arranged in a manner suitable for a popular occasion admitted of no expression of individual views, and indeed was so treated as to give to the auditor a general idea of the importance of electricity as an aid to physiology and to therapeutics, rather than to elaborate a single theme of interest to the investigator. After reverting to the phenomena of electrical animals, the lecturer passed to the observations of Franklin on the constant current upon the living body. An account of the researches of Galvani and Volta fi~llowed, and a succinct description was presented of the uses of these varieties of electricity in medicine as contrasted with that of faradism. The applications of the incandescent wire as a cautery as well as a means of illumination of the throat-passages ensued. Examples were given of the methods of Duchenne in studying the functions of muscles by determining isolated contractions of separate muscles by the induced current as well as the method referred to Reicheubach as a means of ascertaining the effeets of a powerful current of electricity) which was caused to be passed through a powerful stationary magnet) upon the sense of sight. The method last-named was held by the lecturer to have special interest at this time, since the organizations of societies devoted to psychical research would probably lead to the repetition of the Baron von Reichenbach's experiments in this country.

In selecting from this extensive range of subjects one theme which would bear elaboration, the author has concluded that an exposition of that form of electricity in the application of which he is personally the most interested, would afford the best opportunity of presenting observations which might claim to be original, namely, in the use of the galvano-cautery as an agent in the treatment of diseases of the nasal chambers.