182 



LOCALIZED ELECTRIZATION. 



first experiments on the therapeutic vahie of galvanization, 1 

 wished to obtain proof of the correctness of this estimate, by- 

 submitting cases of paralysis of movement to the influence of 

 the continuous current, directed in the manner that he recom- 

 mends. 



In spite of the rigorous observation of the principles of muscular 

 galvanization that he laid down, I did not succeed in modifying 

 paralysis of movement more favourably than when I excited the 

 nerve-trunks in their continuity, without any heed to the direc- 

 tion of the currents. 



It was also shown by my researches that the direct current is 

 entirely powerless against muscular or cutaneous anaesthesia ; just 

 as, in the normal state, I had found that this current exercised no 

 appreciable special influence upon the sensibility. 



The critical consideration that I have given to the influence of 

 the direction of the current upon the nerves of man, either in the 

 physiological, or in a pathological condition, were the more neces- 

 sary, since the doctrines of Matteuci and the physiologists in 

 general had been re-echoed, and had exerted a considerable 

 influence upon the practice of electrical treatment. Physicians, 

 and especially those among them who were given to scientific 

 research, had too long attaclied great importance, in the galvaniza- 

 tion of man, to the direction of the course of the current in the 

 nerves. 



B. — Remah's method; HifeJsheinis method. — The therapeutic 

 employment of continuous currents had been generally abandoned 

 when, in 1858, Eemak endeavoured to rehabilitate it by creating 

 a method of galvanization of wliich the following are the funda- 

 mental principles : — 1. To cause the passage through the nerves 

 or througli the muscles of currents that were commonly lahile and 

 sometimes stabile,^ during a period of time that did not usually 

 exceed fifteen minutes ; 2. to produce, according to him, the 

 reflex contractions that he denominated galvano-tonic. 



Afterwards came the method of Hiifelsheim,'' by continuous 

 currents described as permanent ; meaning by that, that he caused 

 the passage of a stabile current through organs for a long time, 

 (from one to several hours). 



Until the fundamental principles of these methods of galvaniza- 



® A cm'rent is called stabile that is 

 furnished by a battery of equal tension, 

 and api^lied by rheophores each of which 

 is kept stationary upon the same point of 

 skin. A lahile current is one furnished 

 by the same battery, but api^lied by rheo- 

 phores one or both of which are moved 



about upon the skin, without interruption 

 of the circuit. In the same way, the con- 

 tractions produced by the former method 

 are also called stabile, and those produced 

 by the latter method are called labile. 



' Hift'elsheim, Des Applications me'di- 

 cales lie la pile de Vulta. Paris, 1861. 



