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bo left there, and the shock is communicated by two directors,cite connected with the bottom, the other with the top. Theoperator will often find himself embarrassed in giving small shocks,the tiuid passing from the conduc tor to the ball of the electrome-ter, instead of going through the circuits he desires: when thishappens, which may be known by the chattering noise of thesnarks, the resistance formed to the discharge is so great, that thetiuid cannot force its way through the circuit: to remedy this,pass two metallic pins through the cloathing, so that they may bei;i contact with the skin, which will lessen the resistance, and con-duct the fluid. i
VII. Bv a sensation between a shock and the spark, which doesnot communicate that disagreeable feeling attending the commonshock. This is effected by taking out the long wire from thesmall medical bottle, and leaving the shorter one which is con-nected with the tube in its place, the directors to be connectedand used as before. The effect of this species of shock, if it maybe called one, is to produce a great vibration in the muscularfibres, without inducing that pungent sensation which the shockeffects. It is therefore applicable to some stages of palsy andrheumatism; it may also serve as an artificial means of exer-cise.
VIII. By the bottle director. Insulate the patient, and placethe ball g, (Plate EXIV. fig. 28,) in contact with him ; by whichmeans this director is charged. If a wire is conveyed from thebottom of this to the top of another director, the bottle directorwill be discharged whenever the other ball h is brought in contactwith the patient; so that by bringing it down with rapidity, anynumber of small shocks may be procured in a minute ; or con-nect the insulated patient with the top or inside of a large chargedjar, and then this apparatus used in the foregoing manner will dis-charge from the large jar at each spark its own contents, and byrepetition it will discharge the whole jar : thus a number of shocksmay be gRen without continually turning the machine or employ-ing an assistant.
IX. By passing the whole fluid contained in the Leyden phialthrough a diseased part without giving the shock. Connect a di-rector, bv means of a wire, with the ball of a Leyden jar ; chargethe jar either completely or partially, and then apply the ball orpoint of the conductor to the part intended to be electrified, andthe iluid which was condensed in the phial will be thrown on thepart in a dense slow stream, attended with a pungent sensationwhich produces a considerable degree of warmth. If a wire thatcommunicates with the ground is placed opposite to the end of thedirector, the passage of the fluid will be rendered more rapid, andthe sensation stronger. Or insulate the patient, connect him withthe top of a jar, charge this, and then apply a metal wire orpiece of wood to the part through which you wish to make thefluid pass. It is obvious, that in this case the circuit between theinside and the outside of the jar is not completed, therefore theshock will not be felt. The condensed fluid passes in a denseslow stream through the required part, while the outside acquiresa sufficient quantity from substances near it to restore the equilibrium.
General Rules for the Administration of MedicalElectricity.
ft is impossible to prescribe the exact degree of electrizationrequisite for various diseases. Persons of different constitutions,though afflicted with the same disease, often require different de-S rc «'s of electrification. The following general rides for practiceare 'aid down by that learned electrician Mr. Cavallo:
. “ I. It should be attentively observed, to employ the smallestlorce of electricity that is sufficient to remove or alleviate any dis-order. Thus the’ shocks should never be used, when the curemay be effected by sparks; the sparks should be avoided, when'he required effect can be obtained by only drawing the fluid'vith a wooden point ; and even this last treatment ought to beomitted, when the fluid drawn by a metal point may be thoughtsufficient. The difficulty consists in distinguishing the properstrength of electric power that is required for a given disorder, thesex and constitution of the patient being considered.—The surestrule is to begin by the most gentle treatment. When this hasbeen found ineffectual for a few days, which is denoted by thedisease not abating, and the application of electricity not causingany warmth, then the operator may gradually increase the force ofelectricity till he finds the proper degree of it.
“ H. In judging of cases proper to be electrified, experience
VOL. it.— no. 73.
shews, that in general all kinds of obstructions, whether of motion,of circulation, or of secretion, are very often removed, or alleviatedby electricity. The same may also be said of nervous disorders;both which include a great variety of diseases. The applicationof electricity has seldom intirely cured diseases of a long standing,although it generally relieves them. To persons afflicted with thevenereal disease, or to pregnant women, electrization has beenthought to be pernicious; but even in those eases it may be inedwithout fear, if judiciously managed. When pregnant women areto be electrified, the shocks should he forbidden ; and even whenthe other more gentle treatments are used, a constant attentionshould lie given to any phamomena that may appear in the courseof the electrization; the method of which should be increased,diminished, or suspended, as circumstances may indicate.
“ III. In cases of gathering tumours, the best method is to drawthe fluid by means of a wooden point; or, if that prove painful,by a metal point. Sparks in these cases, and also shucks, are of-ten hurtful. In stiffnesses, paralysies, and rheumatism, small sparks,especially through a double flannel, and also very small shocks (asmost of one tenth of an inch) may be used. Stronger shocks maybe sometimes, though seldom, administered for a violent toolh-ach,and for some internal spasm of no long standing.
“ JV. When any limb of the body is deprived of motion, itmust he observed, that lift privation of motion is not always oc-casioned by a contraction of the muscles; but that it is often theeffect of relaxation. Thus for instance, if the hand is bent inwardly,and the patient has no power of straightening it, the cause of itmay be a weakness of the outward muscles, as well as a contractionof the inward ones. In such cases, ai it is often difficult, even forgood anatomists to discover the real cause, the surest method is toelectrify not only those muscles, which are supposed to be con-tracted, but also their antagonists; for to electrify a sound muscleis by no means hurtful.
“V. When the stream of electric fluid is thrown either with 3wooden or metal point, the length of the operation should he fromthree to ten minutes, more or less, according as occasion may re-quire. When shocks are administered, their greatest numbershould not exceed a dozen or 14, except when.thev are to be givento the whole body in different directions. The number of sparks,when they are used, may generally exceed the number of shocksmentioned above.
“VI. Lastly, when children must be electrified upon the in-sulating chair, as it is difficult to let them remain quiet, the mostconvenient method is, to let another person sit in the insulatingchair, and hold the child while the operator is electrifying him.”On the whole, the electric fluid, issuing from a wooden point (whichshould not he split, or too short,) has a power intermediate betweenthat of the stream proceeding from a metal point, and that ot thespark ; and is therefore in general the most proper and effectualmethod of electrification. It consists of a vast number of exceed-ingly small sparks, accompanied with a little wind, which gentlystimulates the part affected, and gives a degree of warmth vi ryagreeable to the patient. Even this gentle method of electrifying,however, is sometimes too strong when applied to open sores upondelicate parts. In such rases, therefore, the metal point must beused instead of the wooden, and the director must be kept at agreater distance, than when the wooden piece was upon it. '1 heelectric fluid issuing out of this pointed wire of the director, oc-casions only a very gentle wind upon the part to which it is di-rected, which proves agreeable even to persons of the utmost deli-cacy. Mr. Cavallo says, “ it might naturally be suspected, thatso gentle and ncatly'insensible a treatment could hardly he of anyefficacy ; but my reader may be assured, that to my certain know-ledge, deduced from the practice of persons who have had long i x-perience in this subject, this mrthod of electrization, viz. the tint v-ing of the fluid with a metal point, has often mitigated pains, andcured obstinate and dangerous diseases, which could not be r; -moved by any other remedy that was tried. The stream, (haadds,) issuing Loth out of the wooden and of the metal points actseven through the cloaths, if they are not too thick. Hence it maybe used wirtiout incommoding the patient; but wjien it is con-venient to uncover the part which is to be electrified, it is muchpreferable to direct the fluid immediately upon the skin.”
Of the Administration of Medical Electricity in par-ticular Diseases.
Although it belongs properly to the article Medicine, to treat of
4II the