74 LOCALIZED ELECTRIZATION. 



The sciatic nerve is only accessible at its origin in the pelvis, 

 through the posterior wall of the rectum. The process for apply- 

 ing faradization to it will be explained hereafter. 



In other regions, the practice of indirect muscular faradization 

 becomes more difficult and more delicate. On the face, the trunk 

 of the jjortio dura, concealed in the thickness of the parotid, is 

 inaccessible to electro-excitation, whatever be the strength of the 

 current. It can be reached at its issue from the stylo-raastoid 

 foramen, by introducing a conical rheophore, covered with wet 

 leather, into the external auditory meatus, and resting it on the 

 lower cartilage ; at this point the trunk of the nerve will be 

 distant from the rheophore only three or four millimetres. Its 

 branches may be faradized at their points of emergence from the 

 parotid ; and the contraction of the muscles su23plied by them is a 

 certain index that they are excited. 



In the supra-clavicular region the rheophore, placed immediately 

 above the clavicle, acts upon the brachial plexus ; at the summit 

 of the supra-clavicular triangle it is in relation with the external 

 branch of the spinal, at a finger's breadth above the clavicle, and 

 over tlie clavicular attachment of the trapezius the rheophore acts 

 upon the nerve which supplies the serratus raagnus and deltoid ; 

 at the same distance above the clavicle, but towards the inferior 

 attachment of the sterno-cleido-mastoid, are the nerves which 

 supply the pectoral, the flexors of the forearm upon the arm, and 

 all the muscles of the anterior region of the forearm which receive 

 the excitation,^ Lastly, over the scalenus anticus, the electric 

 excitation is brought to bear upon the phrenic. I shall explain 

 the method which should be employed for the faradization of this 

 nerve, when I speak of the electro physiological and pathological 

 study of the diaphragm. The great hypoglossal is almost sub- 

 cutaneous at the level of the great cornu of the os hyoides, where 

 it passes between the stylo-hyoid and the hyo-glossus. At this 

 point the rheophores should be placed, when it is desired to fara- 

 dize this nerve, I shall speak hereafter of the faradization of the 

 glosso-pharyngeal, of the pneumo-gastric, and of the recurrent, 



V. — Direct muscular faradization. 



Direct muscular faradization consists, as I have already stated, 

 in causing each muscle, or fasciculus of muscle, to contract indi- 



" I am certain that, in the different times, and always, on placing the rheo- 

 points above stated, we find, in the phores on these points, I have seen con- 

 midst of the brachial plexus, the nervous traction produced in muscles which 

 fibres which go to form each of the ; receive spinal influence from each of the 

 nerves which arise from it ; for I have | nerves, 

 repeated the experiments thousands of 



